Bleed Into Those Sweat Soaked Sheets
by Broken Headphones
Summary: Detective Yu Kanda is the best of the best, solving all of his cases with a strong sense of justice, impeccable logic, and a quick, sharp blade. But this case might take some leaps of faith away from everything he knows and has thought to be true.
1. Bloody Murder

**I'm so sorry for the sudden disappearance! Please forgive me! My brother broke my computer and had to go out and buy me a new one. Unfortunately, all of my writing was on the other computer, and I lost it all! Thank you, Chase. Thank you.**

Yu Kanda mentally cursed Komui to the deepest, darkest pits of hell as he drove up to the crime scene in the middle of the city. People had already created a crowd around the site, much to his annoyance, and he had to constantly honk his horn to get people to move. One idiot actually pulled his gun out on Kanda, and he opened the door and flashed his badge. The man went on his merry way. Kanda reentered the car and pressed hard on the gas, making a few people jump out of the way and make a path for him to drive through. Once he had parked himself with the other police vehicles, he cut the engine, shoved the keys deep into his pocket, and stepped outside. He was hit with the smell of a busy city: burning gas from cars trying to drive down the people-ridden street, cigarette smoke and cheap perfume turning into one, gut-wrenching aroma, and the smell of chow mien from the Thai restaurant about two blocks down. There was another smell that he couldn't place, but it wasn't from the usual hustle and bustle from the city.

"Detective Kanda!" Kanda rolled his eyes and turned away, placing a hand in front of his face, trying to hide himself from the Lieutenant walking over to him. But he couldn't disguise his dark, flowing navy hair from the man who walked over and slung an arm around his neck, as if the two men had known each other for years. Just because they went to the same high school and college didn't mean the two men were friends in Kanda's eyes. "Man, the chief was so glad that I could get a hold of you. He freaked when he saw the scene."

"It's _murder_, Tomitake," Kanda replied, turning away from the man. Acid dripped from his lips. "I'm pretty sure anyone would be rattled by death."

"But not you, 'Cold-As-Ice Kanda!'" Kanda turned to glare at him. He hated that nickname because it honestly wasn't true. He had seen his parents murdered, and every time he saw a dead body he felt a chill run up his spine, his heart choke him, and his stomach drop to his knees.

Kanda slapped the man away, surprising him. "Just show me the body, Tomitake," he said harshly. "I want to get home and take a shower."

"Oh. Did something happen today?" Tomitake began to dance through the crowd lithely, leading Kanda towards an alley not too far ahead from them. Kanda pushed through roughly to come up behind him.

"Nothing out of the ordinary happened, Tomitake. I just killed someone."

"Hey! That's fun, huh?"

"Your sarcasm gets worse and worse every time I see you."

Kanda moved past the crowd break, flashing his badge towards the men who were guarding the crime scene. One man proclaimed his ever-lasting love for the young man and asked him to entertain a marriage proposal. Kanda stuck the tip of a handgun to the man's hand and told him to get lost.

"Here we are, Detective! Ah, Reever! Lookie who I got!" Tomitake sang childishly, pointing towards Kanda. Reever looked over at him with a greenish face tint and waved. He turned away and threw up his dinner into a nearby trash can. There was another smell that was usual to the city life. "Detective Yu Kanda, a.k.a, Cold-As-Ice Kanda, and he's ready to go!"

"I'll kill you," Kanda said as he walked past the Lieutenant and looked around for the body. He turned towards Reever. "Well, where is it?" Something dropped onto his cheek. Kanda paused for a moment, feeling something wet and cold fall back onto him again. He wiped his fingers across his cheek and looked down at it. It was dark, almost purple or blue, and he smelled it. It smelled like copper. He looked up. "Wh-what the fuck is _this_!?"

He jumped back, avoiding another drop. The victim was hanging upside down where Kanda had just been standing, his mouth open in a frozen, silent scream, and blood had poured from the back of his throat, down over his gums and top row of teeth, skipped around the man's nostrils and between his eyes to stop just above his bald brow and drop onto the street. His clothes were torn and shredded and his entrails were hanging loose from his body that was ripped open. His left eye was missing. Kanda felt like he would be sick and swallowed the feeling.

"Hey, Cold-As-Ice—"

"If you say my name, I swear to God I'm going to take out that man's remaining eye and shove it up your ass," he snapped, turning around to glare at Tomitake. The blond man jumped back, surprised at Kanda's reaction. The young detective turned back towards the victim. "How long since he died?"

"Well, it's not entirely clear yet," Reever admitted, spraying mint spray into his mouth as if there would never be anymore in the world, "but my guess is at least two and a half hours. From up here, it's obvious there are signs of struggle. He has bruises on his wrists and there's a chunk of flesh bitten out of the back of the man's neck. You look a little woozy, Kanda."

"I just need to sit down for a few minutes," Kanda said.

"Well then, we'll get you a chair," Reever said, walking past the small flaps. Tomitake whistled.

"I've never seen you pale as bad as you have now, Kanda." He thanked God that the nickname had disappeared by now. A small fold-out chair was placed a few meters away from the body and Kanda sat down happily, letting out a heavy sigh. He massaged his temples as if he had a headache. "Are you that sickened by it? I've seen worse."

"Tomitake?"

"Yes sir?" 

"Shut up."

"Yes sir!"

Kanda glared at him and closed his eyes. The image of the man's mauled form was burned forever into his eyes. Seeing that dead corpse's mouth open…he could almost hear the cut-off scream that would come out of the man's throat. It rang in his ears and echoed in his head.

"You look like you were hit by a car, man." Kanda looked up, eyes narrowed. A red-head was standing in front of him with his bittersweet hair flopped over a headband and an eye patch covering his right eye. The other was emerald green. "Are you gonna live?"

"Yes," Kanda spat. "I'm breathing, aren't I?"

"Huh, so you are." The man grinned, then looked over at the body that was now being lowered from its chain noose. "I see why you nearly swooned. That's pretty nasty."

"I didn't faint."

"Almost."

"I'll kill you."

"Please don't, Kanda," Tomitake said, coming to check up on him. "Can you stand?" He watched as Kanda got to his feet and gave him a harsh glare. "We have a few pieces of evidence that we'd like you to see."

"What?" Kanda wasn't granted an answer as Tomitake turned around and began to trek back further into the alley. A tent had been set up not too long ago as Kanda was calming down and inside was the mauled corpse and a few items that the man had been in possession of.

"There's your answer," the man who had walked up said with a grin. Kanda turned away from him to look at the table further down, and he rounded the first one.

Lying out with numbers in front of them were a few things the man might have been carrying: a cell phone, a small white bottle that was unlabeled and closed (Kanda picked this up after putting on blue latex gloves and shook it), a white plastic bag that held a Styrofoam to-go box that held half a serving of Chinese food, and a bloody wallet that would most likely have been in his back pocket. Inside the wallet was a thick pile of cash.

"What's this?" The man took it, with only his fingers entirely in the glove. He had trouble holding onto the bottle securely. "Cough medicine?"

"Not exactly." Kanda snatched the bottle out of the air as the man fumbled and dropped it. He twisted the bottle cap open and peered inside. "There are a few pills inside here. They're round."

"Pour them out." Tomitake rushed over to one of the inspectors and snatched a Petri dish from them without bothering to make his thievery unknown. He placed it onto the table and took the top cover off. Kanda poured out two pills onto the dish. The red-head picked one up without asking.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Round," Kanda spat sarcastically. The man narrowed his eyes, looking drowsy.

"No, really?"

"Break it up, you two!" Tomitake came between them, hugging them to him like they were all brothers. The red-head returned the hug, but Kanda continued to glower. "Partners don't fight!" 

"Partners?" both asked in surprise. Tomitake looked between their surprised expressions.

"Oh, didn't I tell you guys?" Kanda narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Well, you've been partnered with Lavi for this case."

"Nice to meetcha!" Lavi held out his hand for Kanda to shake. Kanda looked down at it, then back up to Lavi.

"I don't shake hands with pirates."


	2. Attack of the Flying Mammals

Kanda opened the door of his empty home and stepped inside, feeling the warm barrier contrast with the cold, February weather that stood proudly outside, ready to freeze anyone to death. He pulled off his thick, black coat and hung it up in the hallway closet. He caught a glance of himself in the mirror. He looked like shit. His face was pale, save for his nose and lips, which were pink from the cold. There were some bags beneath his eyes, which showed just how sleep-deprived he could get when working from case-to-case. That was probably why his last girlfriend broke up with him.

He pulled off his shirt and tossed it towards the hamper in what was supposed to be a cool, basketball shoot. It hit the side and fell pathetically to the floor. He waved it away. He would put it in there in the morning. All he needed was a good night's rest. Right now, his bed was very inviting.

Kanda didn't bother changing his pants (do _not_ question procrastination when one is tired) and he peeled off his shoes and socks. The mattress beneath him sunk down and it was so soft. He almost flopped over and passed out, but he managed to get himself comfortably underneath the covers and turned himself on his right. He always slept better on his right side. He snaked his hand underneath the pillow and shifted his weight. In a few moments, he drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

When Kanda woke up, he had been asleep for well over eight hours and he felt groggy but refreshed. He was warm and comfortable underneath his covers, and he closed his eyes again. Somehow, in his sleep, he had turned himself over onto his belly and was lying face-first in the pillow. He almost regretted hearing his home phone ring.

Kanda pushed himself out of bed reluctantly, reminding himself of his younger version getting up at ungodly hours in the morning to get ready for school. The phone rang two times before he answered it and said in a stoic tone, "Hello?"

"Hiya, Kanda, old buddy old pal!" Of all people to call him in the morning, it had to be Tomitake.

"Don't say old," he snapped. "I'm only twenty-one. And why are you calling me so early?" He heard a laugh on the other end of the phone as he groaned and stretched, and he huffed. "What's so funny, idiot?"

"It's two behind the sun, Kanda!" There was a moment of confusion.

"…What?"

"It's two p.m.. It's not early. I called you fifty hundred times! What took you so long to answer?" he demanded in a half-serious voice. "We've come up with a few things. We need you down at the morgue." It was like being told that you had to go to school after Spring Break was over.

"Tomitake, I'm tired. I'm hungry. I don't want to come over," Kanda said, walking over into the bathroom and looking at himself in the mirror. He had forgotten to take his hair out of its usual ponytail, and the band was hanging about halfway down, bunching it up. He ran a hand through his bangs. "I'll come over tomorrow. Tiedoll wants me to call him and I've been so fucking busy…"

"Lavi's already over here!"

"Bye," he said flatly, and that was the end of that. He pressed the miniature red phone on the device and hung it up back. He stretched himself again, feeling his muscles pull out of themselves, and groaned happily at the refreshed feeling. He walked out into the hallway, rubbing the back of his neck, and he walked down to the end. He opened a closet and pulled out a towel, kicking the door shut as he turned and walked back towards the bathroom. He stripped bare and took a hot shower. After a few minutes, he had to turn the temperature down so as to not give himself second-degree burns. Once his shower was over, he stepped out and wrapped a towel around his waist. He glanced in the mirror and froze.

There was that stupid mark on his chest, surrounded by a few bullet-hole scars.

He turned away from the mirror and walked back into his bedroom, dressing himself properly for his work. He tied his hair back and growled profanities as he heard his phone scream again. He picked it back up from the cradle and answered with his usual greeting.

"Hi! It's Lavi! You know, your partner for this weird case?"

_Click_

Kanda set the phone back down and pulled on his coat again. Why couldn't he just be left alone in peace? He closed the door and locked it securely, listening as the phone inside began to ring again. He made a mental note to disconnect the little son of a bitch when he got back from yet another long day of work. He loved the nights where he could just lie underneath his covers for hours and sometimes, if he couldn't get to sleep, he'd just take the time to reflect over his horrible relationships and how they ended tragically, like something out of a Shakespearean play.

The drive to the morgue wasn't anymore fun than getting ready for work. There was the rush-hour traffic that usually occurred from six to seven-thirty in the morning and around five to six at night. He sat at a stoplight that decided that red was a good color on itself (to any impatient man, two minutes felt like two hours) and tapped his fingers on the dashboard. Were high schoolers ditching today? His cell phone rang and he snatched it up, not bothering to check the caller ID.

"Alright, Tomitake, I'm coming! Just hold your damn horses," he snapped. There was silence on the phone.

"Who's Tomitake?" a female voice flowed through the speaker. "This Hanazuki."

"Oh?" The light turned green and Kanda placed his foot on the gas pedal. "I'm sorry. Tomitake's someone annoying from work. He called me a few dozen times today."

"Oh, I'm sorry." The female giggled. "Listen, I need to talk to you…"

Oh great, Kanda thought, here it comes. The excuses always come first. "All you think about is your work," "You never want to be around me," yada yada yada.

"Listen, this is important. It's about our date tonight, and about any other dates we might have." No it isn't. This is about your sex life, he thought bitterly, and he wasn't someone to think aloud. "You're always canceling. I never see you anymore. Can't you take the day off?"

Calm before the storm.

"No, I can't," he said. "I just got called for a new case." He left out the part of the pirate as he turned on the freeway. "This one is quite serious."

"That was your last excuse!"

"Um, no it wasn't." He didn't flinch as her voice rose. "In my last case, a man was going around repeating the Jack the Ripper incident of 1888. He only killed three victims, however, because he was careless and left obvious clues. This next one is an insane maniac. He could get you next."

"Are you _threatening_ me?"

"No, I'm not threatening you. I'm simply trying to explain to you what this man – or woman – is capable of doing. They were able to rip a man to shreds and tie them up upside-down in a dark alley." He felt himself shiver. "I'm trying to save your life and others here."

"That's _always_ your excuse."

"That's the first time I've told you."

"We're done. I can't date a busybody like you, Yu."

"You couldn't have just made that conversation so much easier on me and just said that in the first place?" He paused as he pulled off from the exit. "Oh, and you will refer to me as Detective Kanda from now on, Miss Hanazuki." There was a growl and a click on the other end of the line. He hung up himself and placed his phone back onto the passenger seat. He sighed. How many failed relationships was that? Sixteen? Seventeen? He lost count of them after eight. His cell phone rang again and he checked the caller ID this time.

"What now, Tomitake?" he asked as he answered.

"Whoa! Another relationship down the toilet?" Tomitake asked, not sounding at all apologetic. "How many does this one make?"

"Never mind," Kanda said quickly. "Why are you calling me?"

"The autopsy is complete. I thought I'd fill you in on the details. How about a late lunch?" Kanda's stomach agreed to the proposition.

"As long as you're paying," he said. He heard Tomitake laugh and turned around a corner. "I'm almost at the morgue. I'll be inside in a minute."

"Alright. Oh, Lavi's already—" Kanda quickly hung up and tossed his phone back into the seat. He hated that pirate with every fiber of his body. Especially right after he called Lavi a pirate. The man reached over and placed a hand on Kanda's butt, saying something lewd that he refused to remember, and Kanda had turned around and clocked him in the mouth. His fist still hurt from how hard he had hit the red-head, but he had probably busted out a few teeth.

Kanda pulled into a parking space and cut the engine. He pulled out his phone and went through his contacts, deleting Hanazuki's phone number. He wouldn't need it. He watched as the phone waded up a digital piece of paper and tossed it into the garbage. It was so stupid.

_BLAM_

"Shit!!" Kanda exclaimed, pushing himself back against the driver's seat. His heart beat erratically in his chest; he could feel it ringing in his ears. Kanda quickly unbuckled himself and jumped out, grabbing the soft, fuzzy mass that had flung itself onto his windshield. It was a brown bat. It was wet and warm and bleeding. Kanda ignored the gooey feeling and looked up into the bright sky. Weren't most species of bats nocturnal? He had heard of a few bats that were spotted during the day, but never one that would fly around bleeding. Had it been flying and then died during the drop?

"Stupid kids," he decided it was a prank and tossed the bat into the garbage. He looked down at his hand and grimaced. It was covered with fresh blood and a portion of the rodent's intestines was slumped over his finger. He shook it and heard the organ slap against the concrete. He opened the door and walked inside the depressing building, feeling the ominous air push down his usual mood. The receptionist looked up from her computer and she jumped from her chair when she saw his Kanda's hand.

"D-Detective…!" she cried.

"I'm fine," he said casually, walking past her. "Some stupid kids just threw a dead bat onto my car."

"Should I get someone to clean it?"

"I'll do it myself, later."

"Are you sure?" He wouldn't chance it.

"I'm very sure."

"Alright… Please be careful, Detective."

"I always am." He walked down the long, dim hallways until he found the men's restroom and opened the door. The water in the sink was freezing cold, and he immediately lost feeling in his fingers when he stuck them beneath the faucet. Using a large amount of soap and by scrubbing his hand raw, he managed to get most of the blood off. His hand was stained pink. "Disgusting," he murmured as he took one of the brown paper towels and dried his hands the best he could. The door swung open and Kanda looked over. He wished he hadn't.

"Hey, Yu!" Lavi greeted familiarly. "What happened to you? You look scared to death!" Kanda looked into the mirror. He did look bad. He looked almost exactly like he did last night, except that he had a tad more color in his face.

"Some stupid prank to scare the shit out of me," he replied refusing to look into the man's eyes…eye. "Someone threw a bat onto my windshield."

"A _what_?" Lavi sounded shocked and maybe disgusted. Kanda took some water between his hands and splashed it onto his face. That wore his shock away and he scrubbed his face dry. "Why?"

"Are you honestly asking me?" Kanda stood to face him. "I don't understand kids."

"You don't?" Lavi looked shocked.

"Never had one."

"But you were a kid!"

"I was strictly watched over," Kanda replied. "Where's Tomitake? I'd rather hear what he has to say about the autopsy." Lavi looked hurt.

"Follow me. I'm glad you're finally here. He wouldn't tell me a thing until you got here." He turned around and Kanda walked behind him reluctantly. One of the lights started blinking in the hallway and it went out with a small _pop_. Both men looked up at it. "Well, that sucks."

"Keep going," Kanda ordered. Lavi laughed but followed his command. The hallway became menacingly cold and Kanda wrapped his arms around himself. Lavi did the same.

"H-Here we are," Lavi managed to say from between chattering teeth. "Damn, why does Tomitake have to keep it so freakin' cold in here!?" He shivered violently.

"I have no idea," Kanda replied, as if the question had been directed towards him. "He's a freak."

"Yeah, he is." Lavi laughed and took hold of the doorknob. He yelped and pulled away. His hand was turning pink. "That's ice-cold! It burns!" Kanda frowned. He was acting like such a child. Kanda pushed in front of him and grabbed it securely in his hand. He felt his nerves scream and pulled his hand away. "You didn't believe me, did you?"

"Shut up." Kanda pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and covered the knob, turning and pushing it through. Kanda and Lavi stared wide-eyed at the scene before them, neither of them able to move or blink.

The body that both men had seen just last night was now being fed to a swarm of brown bats. The vermin were walking anywhere on the body they could get their claws into – his cheeks, his forehead, some were even nestled inside of his stomach and eating his insides. Tomitake was curled up in the corner, holding a baseball cap tight against his blonde head, and he was shaking as a few bats were crawling on his arms and one rested on top of his cap. A few bats turned over towards the two at the door and five flew with lightening speed and latched onto Kanda.

He flailed and backed away into the wall across from the room. Lavi lashed out, ripping a bat from Kanda's hair – he took a few hairs with him – and threw it to the ground, stepping on it harshly. A _squitch_ told them it had met its fate. Kanda felt one scratching at his elbow and he slammed his arm into the wall, feeling the bat give way underneath his strength. Blood squirted from the bat's nose and mouth and trickled down the crook of his arm. He cried out as a bat bit his ear. Lavi tore that one off as well, stomping it on the ground. Kanda crushed the head of one in his fist, angry at every one of them. Lavi tore off the last one and threw it against the wall. It fell motionless to the floor. Kanda took a few breaths, trying to compose himself. Lavi placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright!?" he asked, almost screaming. Kanda placed a hand on his overactive heart. He had a scratch on his cheek, two small punctures on his ear from where the bat had bitten him, and his legs felt weak. Lavi had a few bite marks on his hands from where the bats had fought against him. He wiped the blood on his coat, ignoring it. "Yo, Yu, are you in there? Speak to me, man."

"I…okay." He sighed heavily. His heart beat against his stomach. The bats that had circled the body flew out the window they had come in and Tomitake jumped up. He was as pale-faced as Kanda and Lavi were. The victim's other eye had gone missing.

"Tomitake, what the hell was that!?" Kanda suddenly asked, making both men jump at his loud, harsh tone. "How did those bats get in here!?"

"I-I don't know," Tomitake said, shaking. His knees knocked together. "I just opened the window to get some fresh air into the room and they came out of nowhere! I swear, I didn't do anything to provoke them!" Lavi placed a hand on Kanda's shoulder as the young man growled; he looked over at him.

"Yu knows you didn't do anything," he said calmly, but his voice shook. He was trying to smile, but he failed at doing so. He looked as if he had tears in his eye, but it was hard to see. "You didn't know they were going to attack. There was nothing you could do. He's just spooked." Kanda sighed, knowing he was right. He couldn't blame Tomitake. It seemed everything was trying to scare him to death today.

"Tomitake," he said quietly, his legs giving way. He fell to the floor. "Tell me why I'm on this case again." Tomitake and Lavi exchanged looks.

"Why?" he asked.

"No reason," Kanda replied. "Motivation, I guess."

* * *

A silver-haired boy ran down the alley as Kanda and Lavi made their exits from the morgue. Kanda was obviously too rattled to drive, so he allowed Lavi to take the wheel. He ran through the bust city and disappeared into an alley. He ran past a group of men who were ready to rape a young woman – her left breast was exposed and her underwear was down to her knees. They saw him glance at them as he ran by and they abandoned the woman to run after him. She redressed herself and pulled her coat around her, crying as she ran down the street for a policeman. The silver-haired boy noticed them running after him and he laughed. The men shot after him, one of them closing them gap between them and the boy. He grabbed the kid by the hair, throwing him onto the ground. He let out a gasp as he hit. The man grabbed his arms and held them over his head, straddling the boy.

"Lookie lookie lookie, fellas," he snarled, leaning in close to the boy's face. The sun was red against the sky, already starting to lower itself past the horizon. The boy looked at him innocently, big silver eyes looking up. The only emotion he showed in those orbs was excitement. "We got us a cute little baby boy. Pretty innocent, too."

The man heard his companions run over to help hold the boy down. One ripped off the sloppily-made glove over his left arm, revealing the distorted flesh. The men stared at it before one said, "Hey, this one ought to be a pretty interesting fuck, huh?"

"A _boy_?" another one asked.

"Sure. We've fucked women, why not a boy for once?"

"I wouldn't do anything if I was you," the boy said in a feather-light voice. They looked down. His hair fell from his face, revealing a red scar. "Master Larn will get mad at me. He won't like it if you do anything to me. The worse damage I receive, the longer he'll torture you." The first man brought back his arm and socked the boy in the cheek.

"Shut up, stupid boy!" he snapped. "I bet you're a pretty loud screamer. No one will hear you over the usual traffic, though."

"_Really_?" A voice chilled their spines and the one on top of the younger looked up. A cloaked-being was standing over them, a smaller one a few feet behind it. "_I would prefer if you would let my love go_._ I have quite a temper_,_ and if he wasn't beneath you, I would have already killed you_."

The boy's eyes lit up, and he smiled. "Master!" he cried. The cloak moved slightly as the being titled its head.

"_Allen_," said the dark voice. "_Did he hit you_?"

"Huh?" The boy named Allen's smile shrunk just slightly. He looked confused.

"_Did_. _He_. _Hit_. _You_?" The voice sounded impatient, almost angry. Allen blinked for a few moments.

"Oh yeah, he did!" He laughed. "Socked me pretty good, too! It hurts to talk." He made a noise as he remembered something. "The sun's not down yet! You could get hurt!"

"_Don't worry_,_ Allen_._ I won't hurt them until the sun goes down. If they choose to leave_,_ I'll let them go. All but the one who hit you. He should suffer_." The source of the voice – the mouth – opened and acicular teeth shone in the red light, glinting in a pinkish hue. "_You two should leave. If you don't want to get hurt_." The smaller being behind him giggled.

"Hurt them, Master! Hurt them!" it squealed. It sounded female. "I want to hear them scream!" The sun had almost disappeared entirely. The being looked over towards it and then back to the group before him.

"_A little sunlight shouldn't harm me_," the voice said to itself.

The men didn't see the being at all. The man's companions were down on the ground, both cloaked bodies with their throats in their mouths. The larger one tore a chunk of flesh as his victim screamed. He slurped noisily before spitting the chunk out and looking towards the first man and Allen. The man's eyes were wide open and he blanched. He hadn't realized he had let go of Allen.

"_Drink up_, _love_," the voice said as it dipped down to swallow the blood oozing from the open wound. The man was already dead before he knew what was happening, as with the smaller's meal. "_You need your strength_. _You haven't fed for days_."

"I know," Allen said with a pout. "But I hate blood. I don't like drinking from someone." He grimaced. The man looked from Allen to the cloaked being to Allen and back. The smaller one, obviously a girl, pulled away from hers.

"What a pussy!" she screeched. "Come on, Allen, you can do it! Just sink your teeth in and enjoy! Like so…" She bent down and opened her mouth wide, chomping down hard and the man, somehow alive, screamed in agony. Allen winced as his scream became strained. The taller being looked over as the sun was barely poking out. He smirked, before slipping his hood off. The man stared in horror while Allen's eyes shone.

"_Let me help you_,_ love_," he said softly. The man was surprised to find Allen's deformed hand tight around his wrist. He struggled to free himself, but all of his efforts were in vain as the man drew closer, black eyes instructing him to calm down. Against his will, he fell limp.


	3. Cats Without Names

**I'll admit, I don't know a lot of Lavi's past, so I'm just winging it here. No flames about this, please! Reviews are delicious.**

Kanda looked through the file that had been compiled for him and Lavi to look over. After a long, silent drive with his new partner, the two arrived at a small café and were still silent. Lavi watched Kanda carefully examine everything, sometimes talking to himself. Besides the damage the bats had done to the body, the man had been drained of over half of his blood from the neck wound, his eye was taken from his socket, and he had his heart and one of his lungs ripped out. The only evidence on him was useless. There was no trace of DNA except for beneath his fingernails, but the cells were dead. He had bruises and fingerprints on him, but the prints were flat and couldn't be detected or matched. One hand-shaped bruise was too large for a normal person. Kanda placed the papers down, looking up at Lavi.

"So," he started, making the man look up from his coffee, "other than what the bats did, the damage is…well, it's just gross."

"Ha! I'll agree with you there, Yu," Lavi said with a laugh. He took another sip of the bitter liquid. "We also identified the drugs he was carrying around. Tomitake found a small bag of pills in the man's wallet, tucked beneath the wad of money. The round, white pills are ecstasy." He watched the name click in Kanda's mind.

"Was he in therapy?" Kanda asked, turning away from the papers and forgetting about them completely. "Or did he get them off of the streets?" Lavi frowned.

"That, we're not entirely sure of." Lavi scratched his head. "Reever talked to his wife last night and she said that he was being treated for Malaise." Lavi shifted his weight onto his clenched fist. "Of course, we'll have to wait for the medical records to come in before we can find out what medicine he was on, exactly."

"I see," Kanda murmured, looking back down at the papers. Tired of looking at the man's healthy vs. dead picture, he close the folder and pushed it back to Lavi. "Is there a specific weapon?"

"Hn?" Lavi sounded as if he was gurgling. His mouth was full of coffee.

"A weapon. Was there a weapon?" he asked slowly. Lavi thought for a moment.

"Well, there were some lacerations on his throat near the bite wound, a small puncture wound by his ear… Other than that, there is no physical evidence of a weapon."

"You're an idiot," Kanda said flatly.

"Hold on, Yu!"

"Stop calling me Yu!"

"Okay, okay, sorry!" Lavi said quickly, holding his hands in front of him. "Look, Detective, there was some internal damage inflicted as well." He stopped in case Kanda wished to interrupt him. He continued, "Tomitake also found a large, misshapen bruise around the victim's chest. His ribcage was shattered and aside from the entrails hanging from his stomach, his other lung and some arteries were punctured and ripped apart by the bone fragments." Kanda blinked. He was speechless.

"A…And your point is?" he said.

"Well, have you ever heard of a bear hug?" Lavi pointed towards a man holding his daughter to his chest as the little girl reached for a cookie being handed towards her. "Think of it like this: hugging someone to death just became possible."

Kanda stared at Lavi. "…You really _are_, stupid, aren't you?" he said. Lavi jumped.

"I am not!" Lavi sighed. "Man, you're one tough nut to crack. You have to open up and realize that there are plenty of possibilities in this case. What else could they have used that would have bruised his chest and shattered his ribs?"

"A large garrote," Kanda replied. "They were used in Spain for executing prisoners who committed heresy or treason. The traitor either was suffocated or the spikes inside the collar would puncture the skin and tissue and they would bleed to death." Kanda held up a finger. "Garrotes can be made with or without spikes on the inside of the collar, for your information."

"Man, Tomitake was right about you," Lavi said, shaking his head. Kanda glowered.

"What did that blond bastard say about me?" he demanded.

"Oh, nothing." Lavi shrugged. "He just said that you had a pole stuck _waay_ up your ass."

"That's it; I'm out of here." Kanda stood, taking his coat into his arms. "Do your job." He turned around without waiting for a reply from Lavi. The red-head watched as Kanda opened the door and stormed off. He frowned. "Damn, man could take just one joke. It wouldn't kill him to laugh like a person with a heart." Lavi downed what was left of his coffee, frowning to see that Kanda's cold beverage had been untouched and that he had wasted money. Lavi sighed.

"Sir, are you finished?" a waitress asked, blushing as she spoke to him. Lavi looked up at her with a genuine grin. She squeaked.

"No thank you, this'll be all," he said, taking out his wallet. "How much money did this cost?"

"N-Not much." She felt stupidity ringing in her brain as she handed him the bill. Lavi pulled out the amount needed and threw a few extra bills onto the table as a tip. He stood up and smiled at the girl, saluting.

"Have a nice day, madam." Lavi rounded her and walked out the door. He pulled on his coat, wishing it had a hood as the clouds overhead thundered and a few raindrops landed on his head. He shivered at the cold chill that ran down his back and slipped the folder inside his jacket. The sun was beginning to set, and bad things happened around this time of day. He tried to signal a cab, but all of the women beside or behind him would slither on through and steal it from him. He just_ had_ to be a gentleman.

"Hey!" Lavi lashed out, grabbing a man's shoulder in a tight grip. The man looked back, one of his chubby legs halfway inside the taxi's backseat. He glared back at Lavi. "This is _my_ cab! Go flag down your own!"

"Make me, Black Beard!" the husky man retorted as he slipped into the seat and closed the door. Lavi narrowed his eyes as the car took off. People like him deserve everything they get, he thought bitterly. He fought through a crowd for an hour and a half before finding an empty cab to take him home. He was soaking wet by the time he slipped into the leather seats and told the man flatly where to go.

"You look roughed up, sir," the driver said as they came to a four-way traffic light. "It must be tough living in the city. I live in a town just on the outskirts myself."

"Yeah," Lavi replied, not entirely listening. "I've seen some pretty strange things. Including today." He leaned out and looked at the clock. With the visit to the morgue, driving through traffic to find a place to rest, the time he spent going over the case with Kanda, and the time to get himself a cab had taken all but six hours. It was now nine p.m., but the lights made it look like seven.

"Oh really?" the man said, looking at him through the mirror as the light turned green. "What kinds of things have you seen?" Lavi opened the damp file and pulled out the photo of the back of the victim's neck.

"A vampire attack."

The driver was silent.

"Are you on drugs, man?"

* * *

Lavi opened the door to his apartment and shut the door behind him. The building was pitch dark. He managed to find the light switch and flicked it up. His eyes were sore from the sudden bright light and he squinted them, feeling his pupils burn. After a few moments of shocked blindness, he opened his eyes, blinked, and removed his headband and eye-patch. He inspected his reflection in the mirror. A scar split the hairs of his eyebrow and ran down the eyelid, stopping almost an inch and a half below his eye. The lid had been sewn to his cheek so that it remained shut 24/7. He grimaced. No matter how many times he looked at it, it still looked nasty.

"Leghk," he said, sticking his tongue out. "Man, you are one ugly son of a bitch." He tossed the headband and the patch onto the table beneath the mirror and walked into the kitchen. He flipped on the light, not being blinded, and took a carton of milk out of the fridge. He opened the top and chugged what was left of it. After throwing it away, he turned the light off and began to ascend up the stairs. A soft mewl came from behind him. He turned around and grinned.

"Hey there," he said in a soft, sweet voice. "Come here, girl. Have you been okay by yourself?" The orange-tabby bounded up the stairs excitedly, rubbing her head against his palm as he petted her. He picked her up and scratched her head as he continued up the stairs. "I hope you haven't ripped up everything. You get anxious when I'm not home."

Lavi kicked the door open lightly and placed the feline on the bed. She protested with a long, continuous yell. He laughed. "Calm down, honey, I'm coming to give you attention. Let me dress myself in first. I'm tired." He pulled out the clothes and quickly changed himself as he heard her claw at the wooden door. He opened the door and stepped over the young girl, trying not to step on her. He got underneath the covers and tapped the bed until she hopped up. He lied back against the pillows and let the young kitten rub up against his hand. He reminisced back to the first day this beautiful young thing had ever walked into his life.

Kanna was divorcing him. No child support needed for his in-progress son, no money for her to get back on her feet ("I'm going to live with my father, who doesn't want me home just for _sex_," she had said bitterly). She just didn't understand Lavi at all. He worked as hard as any other man – his job was mainly working with people, but they were almost always dead or dying – and when he would come home at ungodly hours, he was tired and bitter. He sometimes couldn't stand being around himself. He needed compassion, love, and to be understood. He needed to be reassured there were more in life than dead bodies, and the only way he could really get that processed in his mind was sex. Sure, he could have just made some friends and gone out with them, but then he wouldn't get the full assurance that he got with intimacy. Intimacy was real, unlike those supposed bonds between "friends." God knows that they'll just talk behind your back anyways.

It had been three weeks since Kanna left when the cat first showed up. It was barely a year old and was sitting on his doorstep, shaking from the cold. Lavi remembered feeling something for it and scooping it up from the mat, carrying it inside and wrapping it in blankets and warmed up a small bowl of milk for it. He remembered staying up all night with the kitten and making sure it survived. He hadn't ever thought of giving it a name. It always answered to everything he said. Once he called her "stupid" and it came running. He felt bad for a week after that. So, whether he called her "honey," "stupid," "girl," or just said "cat" she would come running to him. He groaned as she stepped up onto his stomach, being a three-year-old cat, and she plopped down onto his chest. She closed her eyes and clawed at the blankets on him; he could feel her claws just barely touch his skin through his shirt.

"Alright, honey, time to go to sleep." He heard her complain as he took the switch of the lamp and cut it off so that they were left in the dark of the bedroom. He remembered that he had left the lights on downstairs, but he didn't move. He would turn them off later. "G'night."

He was replied with fish breath.

Lavi slept soundly that night with his adorable friend resting on his chest. The night slipped by easily, and by the time seven o'clock came around, he wasn't ready to get up. He groaned and rolled over. The hair on her back went right up his nose. He coughed and pulled back, sitting up. Worst wake-up call _ever_. The cat looked up at him, blinking sleepily. Lavi laughed and scratched her head. She gave him a silent mewl and turned back towards the pillow, rubbing her head against it. She looked up at him innocently. He couldn't help but laugh.

"Well, time for work." He held up the blanket as he pulled his legs from them and stepped onto the carpet floor. He scratched his abdominals as he yawned and blinked, looking over at the neon red numbers of the alarm clock that never seemed to be set. 7:08. He had plenty of time.

The phone ringing caught his attention and he rushed downstairs to the living room, yanking up the device. He clicked the green phone button and said drowsily, "Hello?"

"Ahoy, matey!" a joyful voice called through the speaker, making Lavi pull the phone away from his ear. "Time ta get goin'!" Lavi growled, reminding himself of a certain someone.

"Tomitake…," he said. "What do you want?"

"You're not a morning person, are you?"

"No…" Lavi yawned loudly.

"Neither is Kanda." Lavi could almost see the smile on the man's face. Suddenly, he got silent. "Another homicide appeared. Just on the outskirts of the city." Lavi sat down on the couch. He was wide awake.

"Who?" he asked.

"Three males; Caucasian; all had wads of cash and…" Tomitake left his sentence hanging. Lavi blinked. Then it clicked.

"Ecstasy!" he cried out.

"Yep. The same white pills our first man had," he said. "Reever's having a reunion with his lunch. It isn't pretty." He could hear vomiting on the other end. "So, could you and Kanda come down so I won't be the only one to suffer? The smell of rotting flesh and vomit is nasty. I think I'm going to be sick."

"You'll make everything worse if you get sick, Tomitake. Just make sure that the bodies aren't, ya know…" He shivered. "I'll be there in a minute."

"Great!"

_Click_

Lavi tossed the phone onto the couch cushion next to him and cut off the lights as he went to fix himself some breakfast. He said he'd be there; he didn't say he wouldn't take his time. He poured some milk into the girl's bowl and called for her. In two seconds, she was beside the silver dish, lapping up the opaque liquid as if there was no tomorrow. Lavi smiled down at her before fixing himself a few pieces of toast and munched on them. He'd have to remind himself to get more milk on the way home. That girl ate like a pig.

On the news station, they were announcing the death of the first victim the police had encountered. His name was Matsuhiro something-or-other and he had died at the age of forty-three. He was married and had a wife and kids, and as street talk turned out, the man had gone out for "nighttime fun." As it turns out, the man had spent eighteen years of his marriage cheating on his wife with whores. The woman cried when she had heard both of them and said she wished he was alive so that she could give it to him. Then she took it back.

Lavi lost his appetite after hearing that news and tossed what was left of his toast into the garbage. The kitten watched as he walked up the stairs. Lavi dressed himself and slid down the rail. She was waiting for him, yowling as he pulled on his eye patch and his headband. He picked her up, gave her an unwanted kiss on the nose, and set her down on the linoleum. He opened the door, locked it behind him, and slipped the keys into his pocket. He whistled to himself, not having much trouble finding a taxi in his neighborhood. He told the driver where to go and sat back. His eyelid itched, but he ignored the tingling. Every time he touched it, the sliver of flesh sunk into the empty socket, and he freaked himself out.

"Say," the driver started, taking a sharp turn that made Lavi almost flip over in the seat, "have you heard about that fella that got killed two nights ago?" He looked at the boy in the mirror. "I just heard it on the radio about ten minutes ago."

"Oh yeah, I did," Lavi said, trying to sound casual as the driver swerved every which way to get through traffic quickly. "I-I'm working on the case, actually." He gagged. "Dammit, slow down man! I'm getting sick back here!" He gripped the seat as if he was going to be thrown out of the window. He might have if the man didn't stop. Lavi sighed heavily, placing a hand over his beating heart. He looked slightly green.

"Sorry," he said, turning back. "So, you're working with Detective Cold-As-Ice Kanda? Man, I do _not_ envy you!" He laughed and slapped the wheel when he turned away from Lavi. "That man is scary! He could stop hearts with a glare."

"Oh, him? He's just a big puppy dog!" Lavi stopped and thought. "Make that a rottweiler dog that has a bad attitude and got kicked in the balls." At this, the taxi driver had to pull over so that he could laugh. Lavi cracked up with him. "He's not too bad. He has one hell of an ego, though." He rubbed his eyes, feeling the skin pull against the thread, and he shivered. He put his hand beneath his butt.

"Whew-wee!" the man exclaimed. "I think you've got to be my favorite passenger! Rottweiler that was kicked… I'm going to have to use that!"

"Feel free to!" Lavi smiled and waved, averting his attention towards the windshield. In it, he could see Tomitake and Kanda talking quietly and discreetly with each other, three bulges poking up from a white blanket already turning crimson with police tape boarding off the crime scene. A small crowd had already begun to gather, and Lavi ripped out his money. He became somber quickly. "Here, just stop here."

"Huh?" The driver turned as Lavi slapped the money onto the back seat and hopped out. "Hey! Where you going? Hey!!" Lavi ignored him as he slammed the back door shut and rushed over to the two. Kanda noticed him coming and slapped Tomitake's shoulder. The young man looked over and grinned.

"Heya, Black Beard!" he greeted.

"Don't make me kill you," he said jokingly. Kanda mumbled something that he couldn't understand. "What was that, Detective?" He slung his arm around the long-haired detective's shoulders. Kanda glared.

"_Oroka na usagi_," he muttered. Lavi blinked and looked over at Tomitake. The blond shrugged. "Tomitake, just explain to him what happened. I'm going to take another look at the bodies." Kanda turned and stalked off, leaving the two men in the dust. He had a small shake to his hips when he walked, Lavi noticed. So he _was_ part woman! That would explain his hair.

"There're the victims," Tomitake said. "I already told you how many and sex and what junk they had on them. Two of these men were married, and one was engaged. All three had a million warrants on their head and a crime record that would make Al Capone shiver in his boots. Can you believe these guys haven't been locked up for good? They must have some inside guys."

"Maybe," Lavi agreed as he walked over closer to the corpses. He backed up a few spaces, covering his nose with a fist. "Shoo! That's something rank! What happened?" His eyes watered as he walked closer. Kanda looked as if he was going to be sick and was holding a small, white handkerchief to his nose as he peeked underneath the blanket.

"You remember the man in the alley?" Tomitake pointed towards the back of his neck. "The same thing happened to these men. A chunk of flesh was bitted out of the neck, on the side this time, but one man has a chunk and a bite mark in his neck. Kanda, if you will…" Tomitake gestured. Kanda shot him a glare.

"Don't boss me around," he ordered, but lifted up the blanket for Lavi to see. The closest body's neck had skin, tissue, and veins missing, but he also had a bite mark. Lavi laughed.

"It's a hickey-gone-wrong!" he exclaimed.

"God, why do you punish me?" Kanda muttered.

"It looks like a babysitting job turned into a horror movie!" Tomitake joined in. Kanda growled.

"Stop making lame jokes."

"He was attacked by a vampire!" Lavi hollered.

"There are no such things as vampires, you idiots," Kanda snapped, halting their laughing. "If you honestly think vampires exist, you need to get a grip on reality." He stood and walked away, growling profanities to himself. Tomitake and Lavi shared an awkward silence. Lavi sighed.

"He's way too logical," Lavi muttered. "There are possibilities out there! He needs to open his mind and get into free-thinking!" Tomitake snorted.

"Good luck convincing him that," he said. "I'll have these bodies sent to the morgue for the autopsy. I'm glad I'm not the poor sucker who has to thoroughly inspect them."

"Yeah, I am too," Lavi admitted. "So…" His eyes narrowed. "Were they…were they drained of blood?" Tomitake sighed.

"Yeah, they were."

"Weird."

"Stop standing around and do your jobs!!" Kanda bitched.


	4. Momma and Daddy

**Makin' up names for momma and daddy. Please don't kill me.**

Allen stepped into the dark cave, not bothering to tiptoe as he moved deeper towards the dark. His silver eyes narrowed as the atmosphere became darker. Outside, the night was falling. His master, hood now off his shoulders, stalked ahead of him. He seemed angry. The girl ran up to Allen, pushing him over as she cackled with glee, and her hood fell over her shoulders. Their master disappeared, and as Allen tried to pick himself back up, he was thrown against the hard wall of the cave and Road held him up with her arms. He groaned as she dug her elbow into his chest, feeling a few of his ribs give into her strength.

"Master Larn is mad at you! Mad at you! Mad at you!" she sang in a giddy voice. "Come on, sing with me, Allen!" He gasped as she let up and then slammed her hand into his shoulder. It dislocated, and his left arm hung loosely. He cried out. "Sing the song, Allen." Her tone turned sinister.

"I-I don't want to, Road! Just let me down," he gasped out. Road pouted.

"Aw, Allen, you're ruining my mood." She laughed as she slammed him into the wall again. "What is it you don't want to do? Drink blood or sing with me? Well, Allen? Which one is it?"

"Both!" he coughed out. It was becoming hard to breathe. But the pressure on his chest disappeared as Road was snatched away from in front of him. He panted, trying to get his breath back. Larn was standing in front of him, and he snapped Allen's arm back into place as it began to heal in a snail-like pace. Road frowned.

"_Road_, _what have I told you about 'playing' with Allen_?" he said in a husky voice. Allen clung to Larn. She huffed and turned away. "_Road_?" She turned back at him, crossing her arms over her halted chest.

"I was just teasing," she said. "He's too weak. He needs to man up! Come on, Allen, be a man!"

"_Road, that's enough_," he scolded, though he didn't sound at all menacing. He sounded cool, almost tired. "_You have to remember that Allen is still human_._ His body is still developing_. _If you use all of your strength_,_ you might break him_._ That would cause a problem for us_,_ Road_._ He wouldn't be able to go and find us our food_." Allen turned towards her and nodded, knowing if he said anything, she'd tear him to pieces. Road glared and he hid behind Larn. The man stood, his onyx eyes glowing dangerously.

"Master!" she cried out defiantly. "How do you expect me to put up with him!? He sleeps all night and stays up all day; I hardly ever get to play with him! The least he can do is drink a little blood! Normal food isn't going to sustain you for long, Allen." Her last venomous retort was aimed at Allen. He glared at her.

"_Now_, _now_, _you two_. _I don't want to hear you fighting_. _I'm sorry Allen_, _but Road _does_ have a point_. _You have to drink at least a little blood to sustain yourself_." Larn patted his head as Allen flinched. He stood to his feet and turned around, facing Road. "_Come with me_, _dear_. _I have a lot to teach you about your prey tonight_." He placed a hand on her shoulders. She looked up at him with a scowl.

"I still think he needs to grow a pair and drink a little A-positive." She looked over at Allen. The boy stood and walked back into the cave. Larn sighed.

"_Kids_. _Why did I agree to teach you two_?" he asked rhetorically. "_I was never good with handling kids_." He took Road's hand and walked towards the entrance. He turned around for a moment. "_We will be back in a moment_, _love_. _Try getting some sleep_. _You look awful_."

"Thanks," Allen said, waving them away. He walked to the very back of the cave and into a dead end. It was littered with color pencils and blank paper (some pieces of paper had explicit drawings on them of humans beings murdered), melted wax, and Allen's playing cards. He remembered that right before going to bed, Road had gotten mad at him because he had beaten her at poker six times and threw them around the floor, shutting herself into one of the two coffins that were lined in a row near the cave walls. A small futon was laid out for Allen, because he hated cramped spaces. He walked over to it and flopped down.

"I wonder what kinds of things master teaches," he said aloud, hearing his light voice echo off the walls. He laughed and heard it resonate. "I can't wait to become a vampire." He paused. "No, I can wait. I can definitely wait." He put his hands behind his head. Mortality wasn't something he would be willing to give up easily like Road had.

* * *

Kanda leaned against the door of the phone booth, tapping his foot impatiently. Lavi was still near the crime scene. Kanda had driven to a phone booth to make a call. Tomitake forbade him to use his cell phone on the scene (not that it mattered since he had left the device at home because Hanazuki wanted to "patch things up" so she could yell at him again) so he drove back a few feet into the city to make the call. He would get an earful, wouldn't he?

_Rring…  
Rring…  
Rring…_

_Click_

"Hello?" Kanda cursed himself inside his head. He was already sitting on a powder keg, so here come the matches. "Hello? Is someone on the other line? I feel an ominous aura coming from the phone…"

"Hello, Tiedoll," he said in a reluctant voice. There was silence. Kanda thought the man had hung up or that he had run out of time on the pay phone. He was soon proved wrong by a loud blubber of words that didn't sound like English. "Could you please enunciate? I don't understand gibberish."

Immediately, the regret set in.

"Gyaah! Why don't you call me more, Yu!? I know you've been busy, but didn't you get my e-mail!? I wanted to have lunch with you last week!" he cried. "But I never got a reply from you!!"

"Yes, Tiedoll, I got your e-mail, your text messages, your voice-mails; I got everything," Kanda replied with a strained smile. It looked more like he was grimacing.

"Then why didn't you answer me!?"

"Because I've been busy lately! I've been jumping from case to case to make my living!" He sighed. There was no rational way to deal with this man, and if you tried to go around the bush with him for help, he got entirely lost. Kanda leaned against the back of the phone booth, crossing one leg over the other. "Say, about the lunch…"

"Would you like to go?! I mean, it's almost ten o'clock, but…"

"Yeah, eleven thirty. I also have some questions to ask you. You were a cop once." He heard the long groan on the other end. "Don't do that."

"Sorry." He heard Tiedoll laugh. "How did you know I used to be a cop, Kanda? I don't remember telling you I was one." Kanda rolled his eyes.

"You used to tell your tales as bed stories to me when I was eight years old, remember?" Kanda tapped his foot as he waited for a sign of recognition. When nothing came, he sighed and shifted his weight. "Look, I just want to ask you a few questions. They should be easy to answer. You shouldn't have trouble answering them."

"Sure, I could." Tiedoll stopped. Kanda listened intently, sticking a quarter into the phone to make sure it didn't drop his call. "Hey, are you the one working on this new case? I heard about it two hours ago; is it true that he was hung upside-down in a dark alley naked?"

"Everything but about being naked is true," Kanda replied. The case was only in its third day and it was already having rumors spread about it. "I want to ask you a few questions about the type of murderers you've dealt with. I think this might help me with the case."

"Really?" Tiedoll sounded almost too excited to be having lunch with his foster-child. He paused. "How much danger are you in in this case, Yu?" Kanda paused. "Yu?"

"Not much," Kanda lied. "I might get shot at once or twice, but other than that, there's not much danger to this assignment. It won't last two weeks." That, Kanda knew, was a flat-out lie. Four people had already been killed, and he wasn't sure how much danger he would be in specifically. He waited for Tiedoll to say something. He heard a tap on the outside of the booth and jumped nearly out of his skin, crying out vulgarity. He turned to see Lavi waving and smiling stupidly at him.

"Yu, you know I don't like it when you lie to me," Tiedoll said once Kanda's fit was over. "And watch that mouth of yours!"

"Whatever," Kanda said, turning his back towards Lavi. "We won't be alone, by the way."

"Huh? Why not?"

"Have you ever wanted to meet a pirate, Tiedoll?"

"What are you saying, Yu? You're confusing me."

"I'm telling you that I know a pirate. Are you willing to meet one or not?"

There was a long pause on the other end and Kanda had to put in another coin to lengthen the call. Lavi tapped the glass and Kanda flipped him the bird. That shut him up with a surprised expression.

"Yu, I regret letting you work there now. You're going insane."

"No I'm not," Kanda replied nonchalantly. "I'm just a naturally curious person."

"Stop acting stupid."

"Yes sir." Hook, line, and sinker.

* * *

Lavi was ecstatic to meet Tiedoll. He shook the man's hand and began to ask about embarrassing stories about Kanda when he was little, and Kanda felt the need to bash his head in. Tiedoll spared his "son" the embarrassment and simply told Lavi that he was a bright, well brought up child that had no embarrassing moments, to which Kanda blushed and Lavi howled.

"So, who's the mother?" Lavi asked. Tiedoll glanced at Kanda nervously and the young man ignored him, slurping up soba all while looking like a god. Kanda swallowed and wiped his mouth politely.

"Her name was Yukiko. I forget her family name, but she was very beautiful. Her name suited her well," Tiedoll answered. Kanda turned to scoot out of the booth. He paused for a moment before he jumped up and walked quickly towards the bathroom. Tiedoll made a noise of recognition. "How heartless I am. I forgot that his mother is such a touchy subject for him."

"What'd she look like?" Lavi asked, milking Kanda's absence for all it was worth. Tiedoll pulled out his wallet and searched through the jungle of photos. Lavi thought he would have to jump in with a machete and a can of bug spray to find it. Tiedoll managed to come through, though, and pulled out a picture. He studied it with nostalgia before handing it over. Lavi examined it. A woman with long, flowing dark hair was standing with two men and a young boy was on the taller man's shoulders. The shortest man in the picture was obviously Tiedoll.

"Is that…?" Before Lavi could finish, the man nodded.

"The woman in the middle is Yukiko, Kanda's mother and my best friend," he explained sadly. "The taller man with the dark hair is Ryoko, his father. As you can see, Kanda looks very much like his mother. He has his father's eyes, though." Tiedoll laughed.

"What about the boy?"

Tiedoll didn't have to answer.

"He used to be like that. He used to smile and laugh like a normal child. But when his parents were killed, it was like all emotion died with them. Next thing I know, he's working to get into law force. He's always been a bright child, so getting in wasn't a challenge." Tiedoll put the picture back into his wallet, coughed, and wiped at his eyes with his stained napkin. "He has a good heart, he really does, but showing emotion doesn't come naturally to him anymore."

"He was so cute," Lavi commented with a stupid smile. "He doesn't look evil! He's so _cute_." Lavi reminded himself of Komui bragging over his little sister, who just started high school. "I'm starting to wish he was younger and my little brother."

"Oh no, this boy could play some pranks," Tiedoll said with a laugh. "He did the worst things to his mother! But that was how a boy his age showed affection."

"Really? What kind of tricks?"

"He once replaced his mother's lipstick with a fish. She popped open the top and would scream like a banshee. Ryoko would give Yu a mouthful, but the pranks were worth—Welcome back, Yu!" Tiedoll interrupted himself as Kanda grabbed his jacket.

"You." He pointed towards Lavi. The Bookman-in-training smirked.

"Me," he replied.

"Stop acting stupid." He felt a small sense of Déjà vu. "We have to go. I just got a call from Komui. He needs to see us." Lavi's smile disappeared, and he was suddenly all business.

"What is it about?" he asked, jumping out of the booth.

"He said he'd tell us when we got to his office. Whatever happened down there scared the shi—oh, never mind, just go out to the car." Kanda had stopped himself when he spotted a young girl staring intently at him. He turned to Tiedoll as Lavi exited the restaurant. "Thanks for the meal, geezer."

"Yu," Tiedoll said seriously. "Keep that boy Lavi around. He's a good kid, a real good kid."

"Whatever." Kanda turned to leave, but Tiedoll grabbed his arm. Kanda looked over his shoulder.

"Be safe, son," Tiedoll said in a grave tone. "I worry about you sometimes."


	5. Security Tapes

When Kanda and Lavi walked into the chief's office, they were expecting the usual mess of papers and books to litter the floor and pile on his office. What they weren't expecting were the bat corpses littering the floor and the blood-stained papers scattered everywhere. Komui's blue mug with Yoshi the rabbit was busted and coffee was poured onto the floor. Kanda nearly stepped in it trying to find the chief. Lavi found him underneath his desk with a dead bat hanging from his hair. Komui seemed oblivious that it was there.

"Komui, sir!" Lavi said. Komui jumped and looked up. His face was unusually pale. Once he reassured that he was in no danger, he sighed and allowed Lavi to pull him up. He looked for Kanda and found him with his blade drawn. Lavi noticed he even had the blade with him in the first place.

"What in hell happened here?" Kanda asked, examining the scattered papers. "It's a mess! You didn't happen to have another fit over Lenalee again, did you?" Komui frowned.

"Of course not! I would _never_ ruin my office from doing something so trivial!" Kanda made face. "What was that?!"

"Nothing, chief, nothing." Kanda sheathed Mugen, then reached over and yanked the bat out of Komui's hair. He examined it, feeling something wet and warm. He dropped it. "Damn it, not again…"

"It's another bat! Like the ones that attacked us back at the morgue yesterday!" Lavi cried. "What's up with all of this?" Komui began crawling on all fours, throwing papers this way and that. Kanda and Lavi stared at him.

"Chief Komui… What…what are you doing?"

"Looking for my glasses!" he called back. "I can't see a damn thing without them…"

"Here! Let me hel—" There was a _crunch_ that reminded the trio of breaking glass and Komui and Kanda turned towards Lavi. The red-head looked down to his feet sheepishly. He bent down and picked up half of a glasses frame. "Oops. I didn't mean to do that. Sorry Komui."

"How stupid can you get?" Kanda asked. He took a few steps towards Lavi. "Are you that obliv—"

_Crunch_

Kanda stopped and Komui turned to glare at him. Kanda lifted his foot. Underneath his boot were pieces of broken glass and bent metal. He flushed as Lavi started to laugh. Komui scowled.

"You two cause trouble no matter _where_ you go," he growled. Komui stood and snatched the frame away from Lavi before moving to Kanda. He grabbed it back and tried to piece them together. After a few failed attempts, he threw them in the garbage bin beside his desk. He sat down and smiled. "Ah well, I guess I can't do my work since you and Lavi destroyed my glasses. It looks like the underlings will have more work to do today."

As if he had some sort of telepathic connection to the lazy chief, Reever opened the door and poked his head in. His eyes were narrowed. "Chief Komui, you're doing that work whether you like it or not. Even if you can't see anything, you _will_ get those documents on your desk signed!" he snapped. "Johnny and I aren't doing your part of the work load again!"

"Aw, do I have to!? What would Lenalee think if she knew how hard you were working her big brother?"

"I'll _tell_ what she'd think…" Reever went to mumble things that were probably better left unsaid and gave one last glare towards Komui before the man began his work begrudgingly. Kanda sighed and Lavi laughed. He pulled a chair back up on four legs and sat himself down. He sat backwards with the back of the chair facing Komui. Kanda remained standing.

"So, what is it you wanted to call us here for?" he asked. "Kanda said you called us to see your office." Komui nodded as he skimmed through what he was doing and signed off his name. He looked up to them.

"Yes, I did," he said. He placed down his pen and intertwined his fingers, hiding his mouth behind them. "It's about this murderer. Does anyone remember the last serious serial killer; you should remember, Kanda, after all, you were the man on the case."

"I remember perfectly, Komui," he replied. Kanda crossed his arms and looked out the window. Whenever he went on about cases, he never looked into anyone's face. "James Kelly (original name: Philip Greene); age: 27. He legally had his name changed to one of the six suspects of the murderer Jack the Ripper. Every woman killed was a prostitute that had her uterus removed. Grow up," he added when Lavi snorted. "He first started with his wife, as happened with the original James Kelly. He was really strange. He actually tried to strangle me."

"I remember that," Komui said. "I was there."

"How'd you get away?" Lavi asked, his curiosity piqued.

"How do you think? Idiot left my hands free; I just pulled out my pistol and shot the sucker in the foot." At this, Lavi laughed. He'd have to make sure to get himself missions with Kanda more often. The man sounded pretty interesting.

"Boys!" Komui waved his hand. "I would love to listen to you go back and forth, but this is serious. We have another murder, but this time, it was more than just that." Both men looked over as Komui held up a small disk. "I think you'd care to see the footage?"

"Depends," Lavi said. "Is it interesting?"

Komui smirked. His eyes narrowed.

"Maybe. But I guess you'll have to see for yourself, won't you?"

* * *

Lavi opened his door, hearing her bound down the stairs, and he went to greet her. Kanda closed the door behind him. Instinctively, he pulled his shoes off as Lavi showered an orange-tabby cat with love and kisses. He left his boots by the door and stood there awkwardly. This was the first time he had been in another person's house besides his and Tiedoll's houses, so he had no idea what he was supposed to do. Lavi continued to coo to the cat. When he placed her down, she went straight for Kanda and bit his foot. Kanda jumped back. Lavi howled.

"You might want to put your shoes on!" he said. "She bites."

"Oh really?" Kanda growled. He was holding the disk in his hand and couldn't bend down to move the cat. As she lunged for him, he put his foot beneath her belly and lightly kicked her away. "What the hell are you feeding that thing?"

"The usual cat food," Lavi replied as he walked towards the living room. Kanda followed with the cat right behind him. "Though, she's not used to me being home during this time of the day, so it might just be pent-up energy she gets while being alone." Kanda yelped as she lunged for his heel and playfully bit it. He sat down on the couch and pulled his feet under him so that the kitten couldn't reach.

While Kanda was fighting against the nameless kitty for the right to all ten of his toes, Lavi was upstairs looking for his laptop. Somehow, it had managed to disappear. He searched for ten minutes before Kanda got impatient and told him to just play it in the DVD player set up in the living room. Lavi did just that.

"Komui said that this was different than normal murders," Lavi muttered as he grabbed the remote and jumped onto the couch, nearly landing on his partner. "I wonder what he means. Do you know, Kanda?"

"No," the man replied sourly. "Now leave me alone."

Lavi frowned and began to press the play button multiple times as the only thing to color the screen was static. After a few frustrating seconds, the screen blinked into a black and white movie clip. The footage was taken from the coffee shop Kanda and Lavi had been in only the day before, and it looked like they had just left. Lavi pointed out that he could see Kanda's untouched coffee cup on the table near the window. He made sure to emphasize that the cup had been empty.

The video soon showed a young man walk in. His hair was bright white against the grays in the video and his arm was bandaged from fingers to elbow and possibly more up towards the shoulder. It was probably hurt in an accident, Kanda thought, brushing it off. He was wearing a long coat and thick-soled boots. Women stared at him as he walked up to the waitress that had served the two detectives. He began talking, from the gestures made by his hands. The waitress looked nervous; her brow came together and she stuck out her lips in a frown. She backed up from him a few steps and put her hands behind her back. She shook her head and said something back to him. The boy pressed her for something, but neither man could read his lips because his back was to the camera. She shook her head fervently and pointed towards the doors, yelling at him. People in the corners of the tape turned to stare and a few waitresses looked over at her with surprised. The boy lashed out and grabbed her hand, squeezing. The video was silent but neither man needed sound to hear that sharp _snap_ of the waitress's bone and her pained cry as she fell to her knees and sobbed, trying to pull her broken arm from the boy's grip.

Both men felt their stomachs clench as the boy's left hand released the waitress and the bandages broke. The hand had become something else, something abnormal and inhuman. The two blinked and the maid was lying on the floor in pieces. Blood pooled out from around her and the patrons inside the bar screamed. The boy whipped around in a full circle that was too fast for the camera to catch his face unblurred, and blood splattered out onto the walls. Both men jumped as they saw blood cover the lens, and everything turned dark. The video went back to static, and the room was quiet. Even the cat had ceased to move, and she was chewing on the couch. Lavi was frozen, Kanda was frozen, and they didn't speak. They both let out breaths they didn't realize they were both holding. Lavi cried out as the cat pounced onto his chest and began pulling at the eye patch. Kanda's face flushed as Lavi fell back onto his lap. The cat escaped with the eye patch in its mouth. Lavi panicked and pulled the headband over his eye.

"You idiot!" Kanda pushed him off the couch. "Don't fall on top of me! I'm not some cushion!" Lavi looked up at him, scar poking through from the bottom of his headband, and he laughed and grinned like a fool. He sat himself up. "Your cat is insane."

"Yeah, I know she is," he replied. "She's attacked me on multiple occasions. But she's the only family I have." Lavi chuckled. Kanda threw a pillow at him. Then he looked over at the static of the screen and his color paled. So did Lavi's. The images of the boy with glowing-white hair slicing everyone in the shop to pieces filled both their minds. Then reality struck.

The time on the bottom-left corner had told both men that he had entered the shop only a few minutes after they left. Had the men decided to talk over the case longer, they would probably be on the obituary list in the newspaper the next day. He and Kanda were silent as they both had mental attacks before Lavi spoke.

"So, you want to spend the night?"

The tense atmosphere disappeared when Kanda turned to glare at Lavi. His lips turned into a strict line.

"Why did you ask me something like that, you idiot?" he demanded. "I have my own house you know. I'm not poor."

"Oh? Then can I sleep over at your place?" His cheeks glowed and he smiled goofily, hold his headband in place over his eye. Kanda narrowed his eyes at the red-head. "What? You look like you want to kill me." Kanda's eyes only got smaller. "What?"

"Why do you always have to ask the stupidest questions?" Kanda retorted. "It's like stupidity has a physical form…" Lavi pouted.

"Why do you always have to be pessimistic?"

"I don't know."

Lavi and Kanda shared an unwanted awkward silence before Lavi stood up. He walked into the kitchen and disappeared. Kanda took this chance to nab the remote off of the couch and rewind the footage. He examined it more intently this time, taking time to slow the pace down as the boy's hand transformed again. The bandages fit to the shape that it began to take before they shredded and Kanda paused the video quickly. Lavi entered the room with two drinks. Hospitality was late, but he figured that Kanda wouldn't notice.

"That is one wicked hand, huh?" he said, bending down to hand Kanda the beverage. Kanda examined it. "What? It's just soda."

"No thanks," he said, turning away. "I don't drink anything carbonated."

"I can get you water."

"I don't drink tap water."

"Bottled water?"

"Don't open it."

"You're welcome." Lavi placed his drink on the table and went to fetch Kanda a bottle of water. He found the tabby underneath the table, chewing away at his eye patch. He frowned and reached out for it. To his surprise, the cat looked up at his hand before hissing and lashing out at him. Her fur stood up on her back and she hissed at him, spitting. The eye patch was securely under her paw. Lavi pulled his scratched hand away from her. He stared in disbelief and sucked the blood off of his finger.

"Ow!" he exclaimed. "That hurt! What's wrong, girl? Why are you acting this way?" He reached out again but stopped when she spat. He frowned and decided to leave her alone. Maybe she'd stop acting strange and go back to her usual self later, he decided, and opened the fridge. He pulled the water bottle out and closed it with his hip. It looked like Kanda would be spending the night, since he hadn't gotten himself socked in the mouth just yet.

"Here ya go!" He tossed the bottle to Kanda. He turned and snatched it out of the air, twisting the cap open, and downed almost half in one go. Kanda sighed for breath when he was finished with his chugging.

"Thanks," he muttered. Lavi smiled at him and sipped on the soda he had for himself. He felt like he was a teenager again.

**Okay, a little explaining to do. I forgot to do so in the last chapter. Please forgive me.**

**Yukiko translates to "rare child," meaning that Tiedoll thought her name was a perfect match for someone like her.**


	6. Stupid Questions

**I hate to say this, but… My brother saw my grades and had the biggest-ass cow I have ever seen. Then my dad got a hold of the information, so now I am limited to about…1 hour or so on the computer. Yeah. Not too many updates coming this month. Not that I'm a constant updater. Now I'm blabbering. Just stop reading this and look at the chapter already!**

**Also, to the person who is helping me design Allen and Road's master… I'd like to introduce him soon in the fanfiction. Please don't rush, but I'd love to see him soon. Thank you!**

Lavi rewound the tape again and pressed the button that shot the video frame by frame. After about five minutes, he pressed the pause button and squinted. Across the room from him, Kanda cursed. "Sorry, Yu," he said with a yawn, "that's the best we're going to get. We can't see his entire face. His hair is too long and it gets in the way of the shot." He let his sore arm fall into his lap. He looked over. Kanda was lying against the back arm of the couch, narrowing his eyes at the screen, as if he was willing it to give him the identity of the boy. Lavi groaned.

"Kanda, just please call it a night with the video…"

"Shut up," he said in a whisper. Lavi barely heard him. Kanda motioned at him with his fingers. "Hand me the remote. There's something I want to look at." Lavi tossed the device and hit Kanda in the arm. The man ignored the small pain that came with the contact and rewound it to the part where the white-haired boy walked in. He played it frame-by-frame from that part and watched. Lavi sunk in his chair.

"So…wanna ask each other questions?" he asked. Kanda looked at him out of the corner of his eyes.

"Why would you want to do something as stupid?"

"Just so we can learn more about each other. I'd prefer to know some about my partners before I really get into working with them." Kanda thought of some remark to say, but he held it in. "So, we can take turns asking each other questions! Can I go first?"

"Knock yourself out." Please, he thought, take that literally.

"Okay!" Lavi paused, thinking over his question. Then he spoke. "So, do you have any siblings?"

"No. I was born an only child," Kanda replied. He was staring intensely at the screen. Lavi waited. When Kanda didn't say anything, he spoke.

"Your turn."

"I seriously have to do this?"

"Of course!"

"Fine," Kanda grumbled, shifting his position. He fixed his ponytail before speaking; it was beginning to come undone. "Do _you_ have any siblings?"

"Nope! I was an only child too!" Lavi replied with a large grin. He looked towards the kitchen as he heard a low growl, and a frown came to his lips. She must really be in a bad mood, he thought. He shook it away. "So, do you have any pets?"

"No." Kanda was not enjoying this. He preferred it when his partners were too scared of him to talk to him. He watched the screen intently. The frames were still moving his hands around as he gestured while talking to the waitress, whose expression still showed confusion. "Is your cat possessed by an _oni_; that thing is still spitting through its teeth." A growl came from the kitchen. Lavi gave up on retrieving his eye patch. It was a goner.

"An _oni_?"

"Evil spirit; demon or devil."

"No, she's not possessed. She's normally so sweet and cuddly," Lavi said slowly, looking back to the kitchen as his cat was having a fit. "She likes to sleep by my head."

"…That's a little too personal, Lavi." Kanda eyed Lavi's headband and how he was constantly holding it against his face. Lavi noticed how intently Kanda was studying him and looked away, hoping to avoid the subject.

"Say, Kanda, why haven't you cut your hair?" he asked. Kanda looked away from the screen as the boy lashed out and grabbed the woman's arm. "It's so long and it looks like it gets in the way of everything. I like my hair short." Kanda narrowed his eyes.

"Don't ever ask me that stupid question," he said, narrowing his eyes. His head whipped towards the television screen as the maid slowly fell to her knees and her mouth opened into the scream. He paused the video and closed his eyes, massaging them. He groaned. Lavi sighed with relief.

"I think my eyes are about to explode!" he said through another sigh. "Black and white is murder on my eyes! I think I'm going blind." Kanda blinked a few times, wishing the soreness to disappear.

"I can't take anymore of that." Kanda stood. "Where's the bathroom? I need a shower." He stretched. Lavi jumped up.

"Follow me! I'll get you a towel too." He clomped up the stairs and Kanda followed at his own pace. Once he got up to the top of the stairs, Lavi already had a towel in his hands and was signaling for him to come down the hall with him. "You won't mind borrowing some of my clothes, will you?"

"A little," Kanda admitted.

"Great!" Lavi went running down the hallway and Kanda closed the door behind him, making sure to lock it. After making sure the lock was reinforced, he undid his shirt buttons and slid it off of his chest, folding it over the towel-rack and doing so with his pants. He reached over, bare, except for his light green boxers, and switched the water on. It burned his hand and he pulled it back, frowning. After a few moments the water finally cooled down enough and he slipped off the boxers, stepping into the warm rain. He had to admit that the air around the house was comfortable. Even if the only occupants were Lavi and his satanic cat, the house was warm and welcoming.

After his shower, Kanda pulled the towel off the rack (he placed it there after his clothes) and wrapped it around his waist. He stepped out and wrung his hair over the tub, hearing the water splash against the bottom. He let it go and grabbed for the doorknob; he quickly stopped himself. What if Lavi was standing outside the door with a bundle of clothes? That would be awkward, especially for Kanda. He'd hate to have to explain the tattoo over his heart to someone who probably wouldn't understand why it was there in the first place. That was a certain path Kanda would rather _not_ walk again.

Nevertheless, Kanda braved opening the door. He found some clothes folded sloppily in front of it. Lavi had left them there for him. He snatched them up and closed the door again, quickly dressing himself. He'd have to remember to really wash his body when he returned home the next night. After fully dressing himself, he slipped the towel around his shoulders and flipped his hair back behind his head. After wiping away a few drops of water from his cheek, he opened the door and exited with a cloud of hot steam following him. Something orange went flying past his foot and barreling into a bedroom near the end of the hallway. He blinked a few times and then headed downstairs. Lavi was sitting on his couch and watching a horror movie with a bowl of fresh, hot popcorn on his lap. He turned and grinned at Kanda.

"Heya!" 

"…" Kanda examined the screen, watching as a man was attempting to saw his leg off. He was screaming in pain into a cloth he had probably tied around his mouth to fight off the pain. Then he looked back at Lavi. His stomach churned. "You can actually watch this ridiculous shit?"

"It's not shit! It's cool!" Lavi turned around. Kanda jumped back. "What?"

"Y…your eye," Kanda stammered. He pointed towards his. Lavi cocked his head before reaching up and touching his eyelid. He blanched and looked away, searching for his headband. He found it on the other side of the couch. "Did you poke it out running with scissors?"

"No," Lavi replied sadly. That was the sign that Kanda had hit a sensitive spot. "This happened around a year ago. I was on a mission and…I kinda got hurt." He grinned and let the headband fall onto his lap and onto the popcorn. "Some criminal I was after slashed it with a knife, then gouged it out." Kanda could feel a shiver crawl up his spine.

"Hey, you look sick."

"Just dizzy." Kanda sat himself back onto the chair Lavi had previously taken residence of. "I can't stand a lot of blood and gore."

"Oh!" Lavi exclaimed. "That explains so much! No offense, of course," he added when Kanda gave him a dark glare. "I just meant that when we first met, you were sitting down and looked kinda sick…"

"Don't rub it in," he spat.

"Right, sorry." Lavi paused. He blinked and the sewn eyelid twitched. Kanda looked away. If he kept facing Lavi, he wouldn't be able to stop staring at it. "So, can I ask another question?"

"Might as well…" Kanda pulled his feet underneath him in case Satan-kitty decided to nab a toe or two.

"How did you come to get the nickname 'Cold-As-Ice Kanda' in the first place? You don't seem emotionless," he said. Kanda glared at him. Then he looked away.

"It's because murder doesn't faze me," he replied. "I see a dead body and I don't react, as Tomitake puts it: 'like a normal person.' He's the one who started that nickname, and it got picked up by the others."

"But I thought you said you couldn't stand a lot of blood and gore."

"Think of someone who got shot or stabbed a few times. I can handle something like that. But the guy in the alley and the three men on the outskirts of the city…" Kanda stopped himself. "I don't like senseless violence, is all."

"Oh…" Lavi picked his headband up and covered his eye.

"Is that why you wear an eye patch?" Kanda pointed towards his face. Lavi nodded, changing the channel to something a little less grotesque. He couldn't find anything on except a horrible parody of the _Dracula_ movie and left it there. Kanda stared at the screen with a blank look. The air between them had grown awkward and uncomfortable, and Lavi wished he could go back to talking with Kanda again.

**So squishy… Maybe I'll get to the fluff soon. And more murder, of course.**


	7. Hallucinations

Kanda was welcomed by sharp sunlight that poured in from the window across from him, and he put his arm over his eyes in hopes of going back to sleep. Something warm and fuzzy had placed itself on his shoulder. He looked over and nearly had a heart attack. The cat was lying there with its paw thrown over its eyes, purring. He sat up, making the cat fall back onto the chair. It looked up at him and blinked funny before opening its mouth in what was supposed to be a meow. Kanda frowned. This thing was supposed to be evil. He reached up to make sure the thing had not bitten his ear off. It looked up at him sweetly. Lavi, however, still bore the mark that the cat was still slightly evil.

"Morning, Yu!" Lavi called as he walked into the living room. "I didn't think you were a late sleeper. You slept longer than I did." He collapsed onto the couch. It soon sparked in Kanda's head that he had fallen asleep on Lavi's chair, and that there was a blanket covering him from the waist down. "You fell asleep about two-thirty in the morning. I fell asleep around three. I wanted to see the end of the movie."

"Great," Kanda replied, stretching his arms into the air. "I have a headache."

"Want me to get you something?"

"No, it'll go away." Kanda waved at him and turned around so that he wasn't a ball. The cat meowed this time and leapt out of the chair to go over to Lavi and jump into his lap. Despite the small scabs on his finger, he welcomed her and lavished her with love. "What is its name?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"The cat. What is the cat's name?"

"It doesn't have one," Lavi said. "I haven't named her." Lavi looked over at the television as the news finally came on. It was four in the afternoon, according to the miniature timer in the bottom-left corner of the screen, and the anchorwoman came up onto the screen with her no-nonsense expression.

"Good afternoon," she said in her monotonous voice. "As it has been happening for the last four-to-five days, three men were killed last night on the outskirts of town…"

"Why did she say 'good afternoon' if she starts talking about murder?" Lavi asked.

"Just shut up and listen, pirate," Kanda snapped, leaning in to hear how bad the media was going to fuck-up the story this time.

"Three men, all wanted for rape, and one for murder, were torn apart last night by a wild animal," she continued as the screen flashed to the crime scene. The shot showed Tomitake, Kanda, and Lavi when they were all speaking with each other. "Detective Yu Kanda and Detective Lavi.." She paused, and in a poor stage whisper, said, "What is his last name? Why does he only have one name?" Then she continued. "These two have been partnered to work together in this case."

"Yu, are you laughing?"

"No, not at all."

"We were unable to get an interview with Yu Kanda, the Detective who also worked and solved the Jack the Ripper copycat case only one week ago, but one of the officers working alongside the duo offered to fill in his place," she said. Tomitake's smile came onto the screen as someone asked him a question. Kanda felt his stomach sink. Tomitake was going to say something stupid, wasn't he?

"We have this whole situation under control," he said. This was not going well already. "The killer seems to be moving out of the city, however, we're not going to stop just because they decide to move. We'll work with officers in the next town or city the killer stops at to make sure nothing like this continues to happen."

"Nice save!" Lavi said as if he was cheering for the man.

"Officer!" a woman said, breaking from the crowd. "The men being killed so far have been following a pattern, is that correct?"

"Well…" Tomitake rubbed the back of his head. "It is true that the victims so far have been male, all married or engaged, and carrying around sexual stimulants on themselves, but it's too early to tell if there is a pattern about the way this serial killer is going about with his crimes. Once we have solid proof of any patterns whatsoever, we'll let you know."

"Officer!" A man stuck his microphone out so far that Kanda almost secretly hoped that it would knock Tomitake in the cheek. "How is this person killing people? What sort of weapons are they using?"

Tomitake blanched and he turned away. "I'm sorry, but I have to get going," he said quickly. "If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask me later." He gave a quick wave and took off before the reporters could surround him. Lavi stood up with the cat in his arms.

"I didn't know there were reporters there recording us," he said.

"Neither did I," Kanda agreed. "I'm not too happy about being recorded without my knowledge."

"Yeah." Lavi placed the cat down as she became fidgety and she bolted up the stairs. "So, you want to get something to eat? I have to get groceries, so we'll have to eat out."

"Whatever," Kanda said. "Wait a minute, Lavi. They're showing the security tape from yesterday." The two became instantly quiet as the clip that they had watched a million times over flashed onto the screen. It skipped the part where he had broken the woman's hand and killed the patrons in the coffee shop. Censorship at its finest.

"So far," the woman said, cutting into the clip's lapse to show her own face, "the identity of the young man is unknown, and he is the prime suspect of the murders happening around the city. If you have any information as to what this young man might look like, please do not hesitate to call the station at this number." The digits appeared on the screen underneath her chin. "Your calls are anonymous and we will not ask for information or a court appearance. Your identity is safe."

"No it's not," Kanda said sourly. "As soon as they find something worthwhile, they hand your phone number and information over to the police." Lavi nodded in agreement.

"Hey, you ready to get going?" he asked. Kanda looked over at him.

"I'm not even dressed."

"Oh, I did some housecleaning while you were asleep. I washed your clothes from yesterday." Lavi grinned triumphantly. Kanda sighed.

"Alright, fine, let me at least make myself presentable."

* * *

Kanda stopped the car at a red light and leaned back in his car, tapping his foot on the floorboard as a pack of cars going this way and that roared in front of him. Lavi looked over at him. Something didn't settle right with either of them. It wasn't the fact that they were sharing a car with each other, or that they both had found out secrets about each other, but something about the aura of the city these days made both feel uncomfortable. The murderer could be lurking just about anywhere neat them at this moment. It could even be the young man in the car just behind them.

"…" Lavi turned towards Kanda as the light turned green and he pushed the gas pedal. "Say, do you feel that too?"

"Feel what?" Kanda asked, keeping his eyes on the road.

"The tension in the air," Lavi answered, gesturing outside his window. "I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one to feel it. I bet you if you go out and ask someone else what they're thinking, they'll tell you it's bad."

"If that's all you want to know, then yes." Kanda tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "I do feel pretty anxious. But it's just you and me being paranoid about this serial killer."

"I guess," Lavi said, listening as his stomach growled. "Can we get something to go? I'm starving."

"I am not eating fast food. It's unhealthy and greasy and disgusting." Kanda relaxed his grip on the wheel. "You can eat wherever you want, but I'm actually going to go for _real_ food."

"Fast food _is_ real food!"

"No it's not."

Kanda ignored his arguments and tried to concentrate on the road. Lavi had such a motor-mouth on him. Kanda felt his patience growing thinner and thinner every time Lavi opened his mouth. He finally snapped and turned to glare at him.

"Would you please just shut the hell up!?" he snapped.

"Yu, watch it!" Kanda turned towards the road, seeing a boy standing in front of the car. His silver hair flashed in the sunlight. Kanda slammed on the brakes; the car swerved out of his control. The tires screamed. When it stopped, the car was facing the way the two had come. Both men were panting, trying to catch their breaths from the shock. Kanda closed his eyes.

"What the hell was that!?" Lavi demanded. "Did you see that!?"

"Yes, Lavi, I saw it. I almost _hit_ it," Kanda hissed. Lavi covered his face with his hands.

"Holy shit."

"Took the words right out of my mouth."

Lavi looked up. Kanda was massaging his temples.

"Whoever's doing this _really_ wants to kill us," Lavi stated.

"I feel an urge to say 'no shit' to that."

"Go ahead. I won't feel anything."

"No shit."

* * *

The two had finally settled down into a nice restaurant and both were shaking in the parking lot when Kanda pulled up. Both were stark pale. Kanda's headache had worsened and Lavi felt sick at his stomach. After ordering, both were silent. Neither could really speak about what had happened to them. Lavi looked up to find Kanda staring out the window next to him in the booth.

"Say, Yu…" Kanda looked over at him. He had gotten used to Lavi calling him by his first name. "You're okay, right? You're not going crazy on me, are you?" He smiled weakly.

"Yes, I'm fine," Kanda replied softly. "Just a headache. And what about you? You're not losing _your_ mind, I hope."

"Nope! All good and stable here!" Lavi pointed towards his head and laughed. Then he frowned. "The city life has become quite feral, hasn't it? Someone can't even go outside at night without worrying about losing their lives anymore."

"Not so loud, Lavi," he said. "People are starting to stare at us. Lower your Goddamn voice."

"Sorry."

Lavi's cell phone vibrated and he pulled it out of his pocket, answering it and speaking in a low voice. His face blanched again. Kanda watched the color drain from his face. He nodded and hung up, rubbing his temples. Kanda's stomach clenched as he saw the expression on Lavi's face. It couldn't have been good.

"What is it, Lavi?" he asked.

"Another damn body," Lavi said huskily. "This time, though, it's a woman." Kanda shook his head.

"I'm not looking at it today," he said. "No way. I've already had enough shit to deal with for now. No way in hell am I putting up with Tomitake's stupidity again. I've been through enough for today."

"Same here." Lavi ran his hands through his hair. "Lucky for us, it's in the next city over. We can just lie and say that we got stuck in traffic."

"I honestly don't care what excuse we use for that idiot. So long as I don't have to put up with him." Kanda took a sip of his tea.

"I'll drive, but I can't guarantee he won't want to talk to you, Yu," Lavi explained. Kanda shrugged. Lavi grinned. He tried, but it wasn't a very convincing one, and he looked towards the tablecloth. Both men ate in silence, unsure of what exactly they could say to each other, and they both hated it.


	8. Haggis

**Urp… I wrote that violent scene with a full stomach of Chinese food. I think my Sweet and Sour chicken is gonna see me again…**

Lavi pulled onto the freeway and sped up just slightly. He had stopped by both his and Kanda's houses to get a few things. From what Tomitake said over the phone, they might be spending a few days in the other city. Both men had packed a few days worth of clothes and grabbed their guns in case Mugen wouldn't be enough to fend off whatever was killing these people. Kanda had fallen asleep and the sun was already starting to set. Lavi remembered to ask his neighbor to feed her while he was away. Lavi switched lanes to get ahead of the grandpa driving slowly in front of him and sped up.

"Kanda. Hey, Kanda!" Lavi shook his partner awake. Kanda blinked and sat up, rubbing his eyes with the bottom of his palm. "Are you awake?"

"I am now," Kanda replied sleepily. "What is it? We're not at the city yet, are we?"

"No, we're not, but I'm getting bored just driving in silence." Lavi smiled as he continued to stare at the road. "I didn't want to turn the radio on and wake you up."

"So you just decided to shake me awake?"

"Yeah. You're not mad at me, are you?"

"No. I've gotten over getting mad at you. It's not really worth it." Kanda leaned his head against the window. His cheeks tinted as Lavi chuckled. Something wasn't right. He didn't like guys, that was for sure. Most guys hated him or talked about him behind his back. There was something about Lavi that Kanda couldn't quite put his finger on… Whatever it was made Kanda not want to get too close to him.

Lavi could feel Kanda's stare on him. He felt his cheeks heat up. Lavi was weird; he was well aware of that. And the person beside him was, in one word, beautiful. It was taking everything Lavi had not to reach over and pull Kanda into a hot, hungry kiss. He actually imagined such a deed and shook it out of his head, focusing on the road ahead of him. Kanda cocked a brow in at the boy before turning toward the windshield. He pointed off to Lavi's left.

"That's the exit to the city there," he informed him. Lavi nodded towards him as thanks and flipped on the blinker as he turned on to the exit.

"Hey, Yu, do you still have that headache?" Lavi stopped at a red light and flipped on the other blinker. Kanda shook his head.

"No, I'm fine. It's gone now." He stretched his arms forward, pulling out his muscles. "How long was I asleep?"

"We've been driving for about two and a half hours. You were asleep for a little over an hour," Lavi said, trying to calculate everything in his head. "Tomitake called while you were asleep. He said that he's cleared everything away and we're welcome to come by the city's morgue tomorrow if we wanted to."

"So I don't have to deal with him today?" Kanda smirked triumphantly.

"Yeah. I told him you were in a pretty bad mood today, so he said to just relax for the rest of the day and he'd talk to us tomorrow. He knows you hate him," Lavi added with a laugh. Kanda looked out the window at the traffic.

"Well, at least he knows that much."

"Give him some credit. He's pretty cool."

"Oh please. That man couldn't be 'cool' if he was standing in a cryogenic freezer."

"Sure he could! He gave you the rest of the day off, didn't he?"

"_He's_ not my boss."

Lavi grinned and laughed. Kanda simply smiled. Lavi had gotten tolerable. He was like an old buddy that one could relax with and just hang back with. Kanda felt himself almost relax on instinct after the third day. He crossed his legs and continued to look out the window. A dog bit a man's leg and the owner pulled it away from the man's leg. She smiled and said what was probably an apology.

"So, do you remember which hotel he booked for us?" Kanda said, turning towards Lavi. He nodded.

"Yeah, I remember the name. I've been to it before," he said. Lavi took a turn and almost ran over a kid that darted out in front of him. He honked and the kid flipped him a bird. Kanda smirked and flashed his gun, to which the kid jumped and took off running. Lavi looked at Kanda in shock. "You're a horrible person!"

"No I'm not. I just don't like kids."

Lavi shook his head. There wasn't much to say to that.

* * *

"_You were _caught on camera?"

Allen flinched at the acid dropping from his master's voice. The man sighed, his incisors gleaming in the dim torch light of the torch on the wall beside him. Behind him was Road, shoving down a small scoop of ice cream, smirking at Allen's punishment. Allen glared at her before his master snapped his fingers.

"_It can't be helped_," he decided, walking closer to the fire's light and closely watched it as it burned. His eyes glowed with the flame reflecting in them. "_Those men are taking away our warnings to others_._ It's becoming quite annoying for me to have to constantly go around town finding new victims to punish_._ I think I'll punish those cops next_,_ should they get in my way_." He stopped and glared at the fire before growling aloud as he slapped the torch off the wall. "_Stupid bitch saw us_._ I had to rid of her_."

"She didn't taste too good," Road said with a grimace as she shoved another scoop of ice cream in her mouth. "She had too much methamphetamine in her blood."

"That's why we let the blood drain out," Allen said. She growled.

"Master Larn, permission to kill the half-breed?"

"_No_. _Road, I have told you plenty of times that you are not allowed to touch Allen in any fashion that would harm him_. _We still need him to be half-human for just a little longer_." As if to prove his point, Larn bent down and placed a chaste kiss on Allen's cheek. From behind him, he heard Road growl, and he smirked. "_I think I'll go out today_," he added, pulling away abruptly. He turned around, his black braid swinging against his shoulder blades, and he walked towards his coffin. There, heeled boots were sitting together, waiting for someone to slip them on and walk out with them.

"Am I coming along?" Road asked. She had already put the lid on her ice cream container and was getting to her feet.

"_No_," Larn replied, shaking his head. "_I'm going out by myself_. _I have business to take care of_. _You may go out and feed tonight, Road, but do not kill unnecessarily_, _understand_?"

"Yes sir," Road grumbled. She had already thrown away her ice cream.

"_Allen_." Larn turned on the boy, kneeling down in front of him so that they were almost eye-to-eye. "_Try to feed tonight_. _Your body doesn't entirely depend on blood, but blood gives it the energy it needs to move_. _Just a few drops, maybe even a mouthful will do_, _but trying to drink _some." Allen nodded at his master's request. Larn nodded, then kissed Allen fully on the mouth. Road let out a snarl. Larn pulled away and started walking towards the exit. He turned and waved towards both of his pupils before he leapt from the entrance and disappeared into the night.

Road glared at Allen. Allen looked back innocently. She tsked and turned away from him as she stalked out of the cave.

* * *

Larn shoved his hands into his pockets, walking down the sidewalk quickly, his black, smoldering eyes looking for his next victim. His rust-colored jacket moved against his arms tightly, tight black pants making his strides slightly restrained, and his boots clacked against the concrete. His next target was already in sight. He looked around the age of thirty-five, dirty-blonde hair and beard, and raggedy clothes that would probably have been easy to remove. He was talking with a bleach-blonde prostitute wearing a strapless corset blouse, tight leather skirt, and black leggings with holes. Her heels looked like they would break her neck if she tripped. Her breasts were ready to pop out of the corset. He reached into his wallet. Larn approached. His eyes shimmered with a ruddy color as the woman looked up at him, batting her eyes for nearly a second, before his gaze caught her. The man looked at Larn with a glare. Larn ignored him.

"_You will leave_," he said, not taking his eyes away from her. The different shades of red swam in his eyes. "_You will not remember me_, _or this man_, _and you will not hear anything that goes on between us_. _You will go home_, _take a hot shower_, _and go to bed thinking that no one approached you_. _You will not answer any of the police's questions_."

"Okay," she said, nodding in agreement to his words. The man stepped up to Larn; he was larger than he looked. He towered a few inches over Larn. He ignored the man.

"_Good night_," Larn said with a wave. The woman turned around and walked away stiffly, as if she was being controlled by puppet strings.

"Hey, what was with that?" the man asked. "I was trying to get a good night tonight!"

"_If you want a good night_," Larn started, glancing down at the man's hand to find a wedding ring, "_then I suggest you take your wife out to dinner_. _There are plenty of restaurants out here_;_ I_ _can suggest a really good one_, _depending how you work your budget_."

"Fuck off!" The man pushed Larn back. Larn stumbled to humor the man, then balled his fist and slammed the side of his arm against the man's chest, hearing the crack at the contact. The man went flying into the alley behind him. Larn followed him as he stumbled to get off the ground, crying out for help. Blood trickled down from the sides of his mouth. Larn grabbed his denim jacket and yanked him up, glaring at him through dark pools of nondescript blackness.

"_You don't have any idea how good you have it, fucker_," Larn said in a dark voice, his vocals bouncing off the two walls of the alley. "_A wife_, _maybe a few kids_… _Tell me, do you have any kids_?"

"T-Twins," the man gasped, trying to catch his breath. Larn threw him to the ground. The man coughed up blood; it hardened in his beard and ran from his nostrils. He screamed loudly as his shin snapped in two, and the heel of Larn's boot sunk down and lacerated veins and arteries. He tried to escape by crawling away, but Larn grabbed his leg and held him down fast, bending his chin down and drinking up the blood from his leg. The man cried out anything he could. Profanities, cries of help, and even a few female names came from his lips. Larn pulled away, blood oozing from the sides of his mouth.

"_Elizabeth is your wife_, _I take it_," he guessed. The man blanched. "_Beatrice and Marie are your twins_, _correct_?" He smirked at the look of utter horror on the man's face. Larn stood and walked over, taking the man's hairy chin in his fingers, and forcing him to look Larn in the eyes. His fiery gaze kept the man's eyes open.

"_I love hearing you scream_," he said huskily. "_You do realize that that woman is giving everything she is to someone who is just a dirty old man_." Larn ripped the man's shirt off, revealing a round, unhealthily large beer-gut covered in a bushel of hair. He traced along the skin, feeling it give way underneath his sharp knife-like nails. The skin opened and blood poured out into the concrete beneath him. The man shook. Larn smiled.

"P-Please," the man begged, grabbing Larn's coat in his hands. The man glared down at him. "D-Don't kill me, please! I have a wife and kids! They expect me home soon!" He cried out as Larn ripped out a chunk of flesh. He continued screaming as Larn lifted it up to his nose, breathing deeply. He groaned and threw the flesh to the side.

"_Disgusting_," he said, spitting onto the ground. "_Your blood doesn't really taste all that good_._ Your flesh smells_._ Putrid entrails_." Larn reached into the man's body, fingering over the organs, watching the man watch his hand in horror. He continued to scream. Larn reached around, feeling his stomach.

"It hurts," the man said with a squeak. "Oh God, it hurts…" He was crying now.

"_I'm surprised you're still alive_," Larn marveled. _"You must have loved your family a lot_. _Or not_, _considering you were about to mess around with some hussy_." Larn silenced him with a smoldering red stare. He bent down to the man's ear. "_I'll end your suffering_, _and I'll end hers_," he whispered. "_I have someone I particularly like at home_. _You might not understand my motives_, _but they are all for the best_."

"Gryaah!" The man had brandished a switchblade while Larn was whispering to him and stuck it straight into Larn's chest. Larn looked down as black blood stained his clothes. He frowned before scowling down at the man. He grabbed the switchblade and jerked it out, wincing as his nerves shocked with pain. The man looked up, realizing that his move was probably the biggest mistake he had ever made in his life.

"_Hm_. _And I was thinking of going easy on you_," Larn said with a slight pout. "_Ah well_. _This new city might get one of the biggest shocks of its life_. _Starting with you_."

The man screamed and clenched his fists and convulsed as Larn took the blade and slowly carved his stomach out of his body, willing the man to continue to live. The man begged for death, wishing for it all to end, wanting to go to Heaven or Hell or wherever he could be free of pain. Larn pulled the organ out, holding it in his hand. He looked over at the man's fear-filled eyes.

"_That fat of yours was hard to dig through_," he said. "_But I found my prize._ _Have you ever had haggis_? _It's a wonderful dish_, _sheep intestines and liver cooked inside of its stomach_. _Here_. _This is as close to a delicacy as you'll ever get_." Larn pried the man's mouth open and stuck the stomach inside of his mouth. His eyes opened so wide that it looked as if it would pop right out of his head. Larn's eyes darkened back to their original pitch color and he stood up, gripping the stab wound he had received. He cursed under his breath before he kicked the man in the open stomach, his boot earning a coat of ruddy blood. He grimaced.

"_Yuck_. _I'll need to clean myself off before retiring_."

Larn turned and started walking out of the alley. He ducked his head, his braid flopping over his shoulder, as people entered the alley, having probably heard the screams from two blocks away. He winced with each step he took. The knife had dug deep, probably punctured one of his organs. He cursed the man to the deepest pits of hell as he exited the city limits. A few more yards, he told himself, and he'd make it to the cave. He needed a bath and a good night's rest. Or, a good day's rest, considering the night life was what he lived for, and the only time he could actually live.

"Master!!" Larn looked up. Allen ran over to him, grinning, until he saw the black blood that poured over from between Larn's fingers. He blanched, if at all possible, and looked up with worry-filled eyes. "Master, what happened!? You're bleeding!!"

Larn wasn't able to speak as Allen rushed over and ripped his hand from the wound to inspect it. The young half-breed's eyes scanned the damage as the blood continued to bleed. Larn placed a hand on Allen's head, smiling sweetly.

"_It's nothing_, _Allen_," he reassured softly. "_It's not that deep_. _I can just wrap it up and go to bed_."

"Shut up, Master!" Allen said. Larn blinked. "You can't dress a wound to save your life." Larn laughed. "I'll dress the wound and I don't want you to go anywhere tomorrow, okay? At least, not too far from the cave. You'll get hurt again."

"_What would I do without you_?" Larn said affectionately. Allen didn't notice the emotion.

"You'd probably die."

"_You just ruined a perfect moment_."

"Huh?"

"_Nothing_." Larn bent down and kissed Allen's ear.

**Okay, this chapter was a little fluffy. Not Kanda x Lavi fluff, but it's still fluff. Is this a good enough introduction to Larn? I hope he doesn't seem too Gary-Stu-ish. I'm a little worried about the reaction he's going to get from the readers.**


	9. Gum

**Gah, I need to stop reading so many Fullmetal Alchemist oneshots. It's getting me to **_**really**_** want to start writing that story in my head… Dammit, someone help me keep on track! If I start another story, I'll never finish this one.**

Yu Kanda and Lavi both looked as if they were going to be sick. How in God's name Tomitake knew that the victim was a woman was a mystery to both Detectives because neither could tell what was supposed to be her nose and what was supposed to be her ass. The limbs and organs had been ripped apart ("The edges are too tattered for it to be a clean cut," Lavi said to himself; Kanda happened to overhear.) and they were all sitting neatly on the table in front of them with numbers ranging from one to infinity in front of them.

"Holy shit," Kanda said, favoring a certain word. "Tell me why you think this mess is a woman."

"Well," Tomitake started, rubbing his hands together, "I was looking through the organs and I saw a uter—"

"Shut the hell up," Lavi said, slapping a hand over his mouth. "You could have just said to trust you."

"Well, you-know-who is such an ass, he won't trust a thing I say."

"You-know-who is about to kick you you-know-where."

"Right, sorry," Tomitake said with a grin, holding his hands up in front of him. His face fell and he looked over Kanda's and Lavi's shoulders. Both turned to see a young woman walk in with a clipboard clutched tightly to her chest. She blushed when she looked at Lavi and ducked her head to avoid doing anything that would embarrass herself. "Ah, Mei! What news have you got for me today? By that look on your face, I would say it's not very good news."

"It's not," she admitted in a quiet voice and shook her head. "Another body was found. It…It looks so horrible…" She started shaking and began crying. Lavi and Kanda shifted awkwardly. Tomitake placed a hand on her back and rubbed circles on her back in an attempt to calm her down. She stopped sobbing, but the tears continued to fall down her cheeks and she started to hiccup.

"It's okay, we'll handle it," he said softly. "Lavi, Kanda, and I will get this solved."

The girl just nodded and broke into sobs again. Lavi elbowed Kanda's arm. He looked over.

"Let's get out of here; I can't stand watching girls cry," he said quietly. Kanda nodded a silent agreement and followed Lavi out of the room to find a young man walking down the hall. Lavi tapped his shoulder. "Hey, are you heading towards the corpse?"

"Which one?" The guy chuckled but shut up when Kanda narrowed his eyes. "The one from last night? Um, yeah, I am."

"Show us the way, if you will." Lavi's kind smile had a bossy aura to it. The boy bowed respectfully and began walking down the hall with the two detectives close at heel. He was joined by a young girl with braids and big glasses. She stole a glance at Lavi and turned around, giggling. Kanda cocked a brow as Lavi grinned triumphantly. When they finally entered the room, both men were glad that they had gotten up too late to eat breakfast.

The victim's face was frozen in time with a horrified expression. His stomach had been ripped open and exposed his digestive system, minus the stomach, which was lodged securely between the man's teeth. His intestines had a dent in them. His leg was bent in an awkward position, but the flesh sunk in and bruised around a sharp hole that had been forced into his shin. Kanda excused himself and moved out of the room as quickly as he could. Lavi didn't follow him.

"What the hell kind of stunt is this?" Lavi asked as he walked closer to the corpse. A rotting smell made him back away quickly. A fly came out of his nose and buzzed around the room. "There are things in my life that I _never_ ever want to see, and that is one of them." The girl ran around the room with a flyswatter, trying to kill the bug.

"Apparently, he is the same as the other male victims here," Tomitake said as he came in. He jerked a thumb back towards the door. "What's wrong with Cold-As-Ice Kanda?"

"He's not feeling so well." Lavi turned back towards the corpse, pinching his nose. "Man. Do we know who the suspect is yet?" Tomitake shook his head. He jumped in shock as the light blue flyswatter hit him smack in the head. He looked over at the girl who simply flushed and backed away with a shy smile. Tomitake patted her head. His forehead began to turn red with small white squares where the holes had made their impression.

"Not at all," he finally said, rubbing the sore spot. "We have a prostitute here that was said to have seen the young man before he died. Would you like to see her? Our interns are going to look at the body for evidence."

"Sure." Lavi turned towards the girl and the boy and pointed a finger at them. The girl's face burned. "Don't do anything to screw the body up, understand? I'll skin ya if you do." The girl nodded vigorously and the guy gave him a "whatever" look. Lavi exited the room, not feeling too hot about the interns.

"Will Kanda be joining us?" Tomitake asked, turning back towards Lavi as he jogged to catch up. Lavi shrugged.

"I don't know."

"So, how close have you gotten to each other?"

"Eh, he doesn't hate me."

"Good, good."

Tomitake walked down to the end of the hallway and opened a door that led into a dark room. Lavi stepped in. He looked over towards his left. There was a young woman dressed in scanty clothing that showed a generous amount of her supple body. Her long, curly, bleach-blonde hair cascaded down over her shoulders and fell down to her waist. Her makeup was done expertly to make it look as if her normally large eyes were smaller and sexier. She was wearing fake eyelashes; one of them was starting to fall off and she would reach up and fix it only to have it fall back down to touch her cheek. Her gray eyes scanned the room, her upper lip pulled back in disgust. The door behind her opened and in strode a deputy, followed by a surprised Kanda. Lavi grinned and waved, but Kanda ignored him.

"He can't see you," Tomitake informed him when Lavi frowned. "We're behind a one-way mirror. Someone must have asked him to interrogate her."

"Probably," Lavi agreed, watching as Kanda took the seat across from the blonde. Both of them sat in profile to Lavi and Tomitake. The girl sat back and inspected him with disgust.

"I'd do you," she said in a light voice tinged with sickness, "if you weren't a cop."

"Insults will only make everything worse for you," Kanda replied smoothly. "I want you to answer my questions honestly, and we'll get you a nice cell that doesn't smell like something crawled into the walls and died."

"So, what, you're gonna arrest me anyway?" She smacked loudly on her gum. Kanda let out a big sigh.

"Well, prostitution is against the law, madam. I, being a policeman…"

"You're a detective."

"I still uphold the law."

"Go fuck yourself."

"No thank you." Kanda cracked his knuckles loudly. "Look, I'm just trying to find a murderer that is in your city, and I got word from three different people that you were with the victim and a possible suspect last night. So please just answer my questions."

"Yeah, I went out last night," she said, smacking away, "but I didn't get any service. I came home, took a hot shower, and went to bed." She crossed her arms and smirked. "You've got nuthin' on me."

"You're from the country, aren't you?"

The woman blinked in confusion, her smile fading. "Yeah," she said with a slow nod. "I am."

"I thought so. Your accent gave it away." Kanda crossed his legs. "So, I'm not a policeman. You can answer my questions. Right?"

"Yeah…" She blinked and shook her head before glaring at him. "Nice try, dreadlocks, but I'm not telling you anything about my customers." She pursed her lips and shot her gum onto Kanda's cheek, where it fell wet and sloppily onto the table. Kanda looked down at it and then back up to her.

"If I wasn't a gentleman, I would hit you hard across the mouth like your father should have done to you." Kanda stood and wiped the spittle off his cheek. "Tell me, do you like stripes?"

"They're slimming," she replied.

"Well then, I hope you like them. You'll be wearing them for a few good years." He turned around and stormed out, stopping only to tell the warden that she could give the whore "a few good slaps" if she wanted. The warden smirked. Lavi and Tomitake shared a few seconds of laughter. She was going to get it. Kanda soon joined them.

"Why did you make me do that?" Kanda demanded as soon as he walked in to join them. "You know I hate interrogations."

"You're the best I've got," Tomitake said with a half-hearted shrug. "In this city, you and Lavi are the only people I outrank." He grinned triumphantly and Lavi and Kanda shared "so what?" faces.

"Yeah," Lavi drawled, shifting his position, "is that it? The only witness we have here just spat her gum in Kanda's face." As if to help Lavi make his point, Kanda grimaced and wiped at his cheek again with his sleeve.

"Well, the other three didn't want to be questioned. But one left a very detailed description of a possible suspect that they saw fleeing the scene after the man was murdered." Tomitake's grin faded and he became grim. "We had one of our sketch artists draw to their details." He turned and grabbed a manila envelope. Lavi and Kanda both reached for it, but Tomitake snatched it away.

"What the hell…?" Kanda demanded.

Tomitake studied them for a moment before he handed the envelope towards them. Lavi snatched it and opened it hurriedly. Kanda leered over Lavi's shoulder to sneak a glance. Both men examined the picture and looked up at Tomitake. The man shrugged.

"Use it how you will," he said. "I'm off to check on the interns. Good luck with the case."

"You are one annoying son of a bitch," Kanda said. Tomitake just grinned and shrugged the insult off. Kanda and Lavi said their goodbyes to the staff as they passed.

"So, what now?" Lavi asked, slipping the picture back into the envelope and sealing it.

"Every time I see him, I need a nap," was all Kanda said. Lavi laughed and slung his arm around Kanda's broad shoulders. He made no move to shrug it off. Rather, he just crossed his arms. "I'm going back to the hotel room. What about you?"

"Can I borrow the car? There's someone I wanna see." Lavi blushed. Kanda cocked his brow. "It's only for an hour or two. And besides, I already have the keys."

"How the hell did _you_ end up with _my_ car keys?"

"I was driving."

"Okay." Kanda shook his head. "Fine, but drop me off at the hotel first. And if I find one scratch on that thing, I'll kill you."

"Deal." Lavi pulled his arm away and opened the door. He stopped. Kanda almost ran into him.

"Why did you stop?"

Lavi was silent. Kanda shifted around him and looked down at whatever his partner was staring at with wide eyes. He froze. Somehow, he and Lavi managed to miss the large claw-like print in the side of the driver's door. The metal had given into the fingers and sunk in, but not enough to be too noticeable. Kanda rushed over and bent down inspecting it.

"That thing you almost hit yesterday…," Lavi started. "I think it wants to tell you something."

"Shut up." Kanda pulled away. His stomach was in his knees. "I'll get it to a shop and fix it later."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Just drop me off at a hotel."

"Sure."

Lavi pulled the door open, his stomach pulled into itself, and he sat down behind the wheel as Kanda sat in the passenger seat. Both men were silent again until Kanda spoke up. He sounded like he was speaking from across a large room instead of right beside him.

"Who are you going to see?" he asked. Lavi sighed.

"An old friend."


	10. Old Relationships

**I'm not too happy about this chapter... But when you're writing something with the flu, you don't really tend to like much of anything.**

Lavi waved as Kanda ducked out, giving him a reminder of his warning about scratching his car, and entered the hotel. Lavi took off so that cars behind him could move. He pulled out onto the main road and began driving. Immediately, he came to a red light and stopped. He tapped on the steering wheel a few times and looked over to the sidewalk, watching people pass. He spaced out until he heard someone honk behind him. He quickly pressed the gas pedal and turned.

The house wasn't what he had expected. It was smaller than he thought, quaint, and it seemed very warm. A dog barked in the backyard as he stepped out of the car. A Labrador bounded up and jumped up, getting his wet, muddy paws all over Lavi's orange shirt. A little girl ran over to catch the dog but saw Lavi and froze. She looked at him doubtfully and backed away. Lavi smiled at her. She frowned.

"What do you want?" she asked in a light voice. Her eyes went straight for the firearm nestling along his waistline. Lavi pulled his coat over himself to cover it. The dog's tail had stopped wagging, and it sat down between the girl and Lavi, confused.

"I would like to speak with your mother," Lavi replied politely with a smile. "Don't worry, she's not in trouble. I just want to ask her a few questions."

The girl hesitated, examining him, before she turned around and started walking towards the front of the house. The dog followed, and Lavi took it as an invitation to come join her. He followed the girl up to the steps and walked into the warm house with the cold air nipping at his neck. He made sure the headband was secured in place; he had yet to replace the mutilated eye patch.

"Momma!" she called through the house. "Momma! Someone wants to see you!" She paused. "He has a gun!"

"Mari! Don't speak like that!" A blonde woman stalked quickly into the living room to scold Mari when she stopped. Her eyes widened as she inspected Lavi. Then her eyes narrowed. "Oh, it's _you_."

"By the tone of your voice, Kanna, I guess I'm not welcome," Lavi joked with a laugh. Kanna only scowled and folded her arm, hitting a whisk against her forearm. "Look, I just want to talk for a few minutes. I was in town and I thought I would say hi. You don't mind that, do you?"

"Actually, I do mind it. A lot." Her frown turned into a glower. "Why are you here? You better not be here for any custody issues…"

"No, nothing like that," Lavi said quickly, waving. He smiled. "I just wanted to check in on how you are doing."

"How did you get my address?" She shifted her position.

"Records. I'm a police officer. I just wanted to see how my son was doing." He stopped and looked around. "Where is he?"

"He was stillborn," Kanna replied. There were no tears in her eyes. Lavi felt something tug at his heart, but he blinked back his tears. "I married soon after and had a daughter." She nodded back towards Mari, who was rolling around on the floor with the Labrador. "I see he jumped you, by the way."

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Lavi pulled out his shirt. "He's cute. What's his name?"

"You should be leaving now, Lavi," Kanna spat. "You said you wanted to see how you're son was doing; well, he's dead. Now get out of here before my husband gets home."

"Why should I? I can't even meet the bastard?" Lavi cocked his brow at Kanna's glower. "I would love to meet the man you left me for. Was he the one you were having an affair with?" Kanna's eyes widened and her face paled. Lavi nodded. "I was hoping what your dad was saying would be a lie. Ah well, the old man has his ways."

"Get out!" Kanna yelled before she could stop herself. Mari halted in playing with the dog. The canine cowered away from Kanna's voice. She closed her eyes and took a deep, shaking breath. "Get out of here, Lavi. I don't like seeing you here. Get out, just get out."

Lavi didn't move. He was surprised. That was the first time Kanna had ever yelled at him. She had never raised her voice, no matter what they were doing. She seemed to have surprised herself.

"Sorry to cause such a ruckus," he said quietly, trying not to startle himself. "I guess I better get going. Kanda's waiting for me. He'll get antsy if I don't get his car back to him soon." Kanna jumped when he finally spoke louder.

"Kanda…?"

"Yeah. Well, at least I finally know what happened to my kid." He smiled sadly. "Farewell, Kanna. I hope you have a happy marriage." He turned around and walked outside, not bothering to close the door on his way out. He slipped into the car and stuck the keys into the ignition, cranking it up. He backed out of the driveway and started the long drive to the hotel.

"So, my kid's a stillborn," he said to himself. "Well, it happens to the best of us, right?"

He was expecting a sarcastic answer, but nothing came. Then he remembered that Kanda was asleep at the hotel. He almost jumped out of his skin when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He fished it out and said, "Hello?"

"Hey, Lavi. You wanna hear something strange?"

* * *

Kanda stretched under the blankets, groaning, and flipped over, burying his face in pillows and hair. His body was tired, sore, and something told him that letting Lavi go off by himself was dangerous. He could get himself hurt. Maybe he'd trip on a ladybug. The thought of that made Kanda laugh.

"It's too hot in here," he complained, throwing the blankets off of his legs. He was sweating and his hair stuck to his back. He walked over to the thermostat and turned it down two degrees before pulling a button-up shirt over his chest. He pulled his hair out from between it and didn't bother to button it. He yawned loudly.

"Might as well get something to eat." He walked towards the door when his phone rang. He rushed over and picked it up.

"Hello?" he greeted. He couldn't stop his voice from sound groggy. He heard the laugh on the other end, and he suddenly wasn't tired anymore. "What do you want, Tomitake?"

"Taking a cat nap, Yu?" he asked. Kanda balled his fists as if he was about to punch him.

"I was relaxed until you called me," he spat, running a hand through his hair. "What is it you want, Tomitake? I'm busy."

"Well, just that we continued to talk to the slut. Would you believe that my wife came in and asked her a question out of pure whim, and she answered to her!" Tomitake sighed. Kanda's brow rose. "My wife asked her, 'So, how was the business last night?,' and the girl answered, 'I only got one customer, but someone ran me off.'" Kanda's eyes widened. "Isn't that just weird? When one of the policemen asked her a question, she snapped at them."

"Wait a minute," Kanda said. "She won't answer to any policemen, but she'll answer to a normal person?"

"That's right." Kanda could almost see the bemused expression on his face. He had one on his own. "I think someone who's good at getting into people's mind or subconscious might be behind this, like a hypnotist or a therapist."

"A hypnotist doesn't really hypnotize people, and a therapist doesn't do that shit in the first place," Kanda said matter-of-factly. He jumped when something slammed against his door. He dropped his phone. When he retrieved it, Tomitake asked:

"Butterfingers much?"

"Shut up. Listen, I'll call you back."

"Ah, but Kanda…!"

Tomitake didn't have time to finish his sentence. Kanda closed his phone and rushed to the door. He immediately regretted opening the stupid door because he was hit straight in the face by a bloody bat. Cursing at the top of his lungs, he grabbed the half-dead mammal and threw it to the ground. It squeaked in protest to the abuse. He gasped after a few moments of holding his breath.

"Shit, again?" he asked, fingering the sticky blood on his cheek. It had already started to coagulate. "What is it with people throwing bats at me?" He picked up the carcass and threw it away in a nearby trashcan. He quickly walked into the bathroom and started scrubbing away at the blood in an attempt to get it off his skin. He managed to do it, but he had rubbed his cheek to the point where it was red, raw, and burned when he touched it.

Kanda place the wet, soapy rag onto the counter, not bothering to clean it up, and collapsed onto the bed. Ever since he started this case, strange things were happening. The bats that seemed to attract themselves to him like flies to honey, the random murders that appeared all over the map, the tingling feeling he got when he thought of Lavi….

Wait, what was that last thought?

Kanda shook his head vigorously, trying to work the thought out of his head. It was so random and weird that he felt he needed to hit himself in the head as hard as he could to see if the thought would come out. But he couldn't. The thought of Lavi's grin stuck in his head and made his face hot.

"Alright, fine, I'll admit it," he said sarcastically. "I like Lavi. A lot." His cheeks burned. Even the sarcasm in his voice didn't mask the true emotion he felt for his idiot companion. But…_gay_? Bisexual was a better word. He still liked women. (Some of them were such whores, though, he could hardly think of them as human.)

"I need fresh air," Kanda said to himself. "I'm losing it. I think I might actually need professional help." He buttoned the shirt up and threw a coat on. He stopped, contemplating on whether or not he should actually leave a note for Lavi. A smart-ass remark popped into his head and he smirked, but he refrained from saying it aloud.

His stomach growled at him audibly. He didn't feel like ordering cheap room service. He remembered Lavi passing a restaurant

He opened the guestbook and wrote down, _Gone out to get something to eat. Be back later_. After making sure his writing was legible, he opened the door and walked out into the cold night. It had been barely over a week since the case first started, and there were very few people out in the streets. Prostitutes were still hanging around their usual corners, waiting for someone to come along and pay them for service. A few batted their eyelashes at Kanda, but he didn't even glance at them.

Someone walked past him. He wouldn't have given them a second glance, except he noticed something strange about them. He lashed out, grabbing the person's shoulder. They turned around. Silver eyes examined his face, and white hair fell down over his shoulders.

"You…!" Kanda gasped. The boy cocked his head slightly. "You're the one who murdered those people in the café!" He felt stupid stating the obvious. However, when the boy recognized him, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Kanda," he said intently, making the older man pull his hand away. "Yu Kanda. You're the one taking down Master Larn's signs aren't you?" Kanda began backing away as the boy advanced. He tried thinking of a way to get out. Running would just be too stupid, because the boy could chase after him, and he could get killed. He could fight back, but his gun was back in the hotel room and so was Mugen. There were zero-to-no options for Kanda's escape.

"That's not me, specifically," Kanda explained, his hands behind him feeling for any walls in case he got trapped. "It's more of the investigation teams. But I do inspect the bodies, and I'm planning on capturing this Larn guy. He's a murderer and must be stopped." Kanda saw anger flash in the boy's silver eyes. "And I'm guessing that you're an accomplice, meaning I need to take you in as well."

"You _won't_ touch Master Larn. I'll kill you if I have to keep you from doing so." The boy's hand convulsed before it turned into the inhuman weapon that had murdered the people in the video. Kanda examined it as he backed away.

The boy didn't give any warning before he appeared right in front of Kanda's face, nearly an inch apart. Kanda felt the claws digging into him before he felt any pain. The boy ripped his claws out, blood dripping thickly from the nails onto the pavement. Kanda fell on his knees and caught himself with his hands before he hit the ground. Blood ran from his mouth and abdomen. No one had seen what had happened.

Kanda was dead.


	11. Interactions

**Okie-dokie, since my and Kanda's birthday is coming up on Sunday, I figured I'd write some fluff for myself and him. Enjoy the cotton-filled goodness!**

Allen skipped into Larn's cave happily, a sudden dose of energy running through his veins like a car on the run. Road watched him with a confused look, and so did Larn. He just grinned, a light pink blush to his cheeks and a creamy tone to his skin. When it finally clicked to Larn and Road, the older man jumped up and pulled Allen into a hug, kissing him flat out on the mouth and angering Road to the point where she crushed the ice cream container she was gorging on. The melted treat rolled down her hand and stained her dress.

"_What took you so long to feed_, _Allen_?" Larn demanded. "_I've been trying to get you to do that for years_!" Allen smirked and averted his gaze. Larn cocked both his brows.

"I finally found a type that suited my tastes," Allen said simply. Larn smiled and kissed his head, turning back to Road to remind her of something that the two of them would be doing later. Allen touched his lips lightly, having been caught off guard with a heavy kiss. Road watched him and pouted.

* * *

Lavi entered the hotel room and was surprised to find it empty. He looked at the guestbook that had been opened. He read the note left for him and smirked. Maybe Kanda would be nice enough to bring him something back. But just in case, he pulled out his cell phone and called Kanda's number. (Tomitake had given it to him when Kanda refused to.) He turned around towards the nightstand when he heard Kanda's phone ringing from there.

"He must have left it here on purpose. He leaves it almost everywhere a lot," Lavi muttered to himself, placing his phone into his pocket. "I should probably go get myself something to eat. He might still be mad about the whole rear-grabbing…"

Lavi flushed as he remembered when he first met the uptight detective. He remembered becoming extremely excited when he learned he was going to have the rare chance to work with the famous Yu Kanda. Lavi had looked up to the man because he'd seen him in action before. Running down the street and tackling a man who had a little girl as his hostage, Kanda had managed to grab the girl's arm, kick the man in the head, and hold him down with one foot while comforting the child until the police and mother arrived. Lavi smirked as he remembered the first time he saw that. Kanda had only been nineteen, and Lavi had just turned twenty.

He heard the door open and jumped up, ready to greet his new, begrudging friend. What he wasn't expecting to see was Kanda limp in, shirt bloody and torn, with a crusty line of blood falling from his lips to his chin. Lavi jumped up and ran to his side.

"What the hell happened to you!" he demanded. Kanda tried to shrug off Lavi's hands, but he only managed to hurt himself. He coughed up a few drops of blood, and Lavi forced him to sit on the bed. "Yu, what happened! You look like you were mauled by a bear!"

"Yes, Lavi, because bears live in the city," Kanda said sarcastically. His throat hurt from coughing, and he wanted to fall asleep. Lavi laughed. Despite looking the like the living dead, he was still able to crack his usual remarks. "Ugh, could you get me something to drink?"

"Sure, yeah!" Lavi ran into the bathroom, fetching one of the random paper cups, and filled it with water. He gave it to Kanda and watched as the young man tipped his head back and downed the liquid in one go. "Seriously, tell me what happened. You look like a mess." Lavi gasped. "Here, let me see your wounds!" He reached to pull back the shirt but Kanda grabbed his hand and gave him a deathly-cold glare. Lavi realized quickly that he was doing something stupid and life-threatening, and he pulled his hand back. Kanda released him.

"I'm going to take a shower," Kanda said, standing up and moving past Lavi towards the bathroom. "I'll tell you what happened when I come out." Kanda closed the door and locked it behind him, not bothering to look back and see the expression on his partner's face. He managed to rip the shirt off and examined his chest.

The only proof left of the night he had were four scars that looked like he'd been shot through the chest by the turrets from a tank. He turned away quickly and turned the shower water to the point where it nearly burned his skin when it touched him. He washed off as much of the crusty, dried blood as he could (he barely managed to get any out of his hair) before he turned the water off, wrapped one of the rough, white hotel towels around his waist, and walked out. Lavi was lying on the bed with his eyes closed, waiting for him.

"Don't open your eyes," Kanda warned. "I need to get myself into new clothes."

"We're both dudes, you know," Lavi retorted, but kept his eyes shut anyway. Kanda waited a few seconds to make sure that Lavi's eyes (well, eye) were shut before he moved around to get dressed. He was blushing furiously as he did, not entirely trusting Lavi. When he was finally dressed, he let Lavi open his eyes. Kanda felt that stare go straight for his chest, where the scars were still visible. He hadn't bothered to close his shirt.

"Holy shit, dude!" Lavi jumped up. Kanda waved his shock away.

"It's been this way for years," Kanda explained. "It's nothing new to me."

"It is to me!" Lavi said. "There are holes the size of the moon all over your stomach!" Lavi flushed at how good he actually looked without a shirt on. He noticed a small tattoo on the other man's arm that reached out over his shoulder. "How long has that been there? I didn't think you were a man for tattoos." He poked it. Kanda slapped his hand away.

"It's been there for a long time. Now stop touching me." Kanda stalked over to the bathroom to make sure he still didn't have any blood on his face. Lavi lashed out and grabbed his arm, stopping him from doing so. When Kanda looked over, he was surprised to see something shining in his partner's eyes. He flushed. "What? You look like you've been drinking…"

"I was just kinda worried about you…" He took a step closer, making the distance between them smaller. Both men flushed. Kanda's heartbeat was so loud he could feel it slapping him in the head. But for some strange reason, he didn't want to pull away from the hypnotizing gaze he was caught in. There was some sort of magnetic pull between them, bringing them close enough to feel each other's breath.

Kanda's phone broke the silence and brought both men back to their senses. Kanda pulled away from him and answered the phone, clearing his throat a few times. Lavi felt immediately defeated as Kanda began to talk, buttoning up his shirt. He nodded a few times before closing it.

"Come on, stupid," he said, pulling his long hair into a low ponytail. "There's been another string of murders. Five people were found dead this time," he said. "Hey, give me my car keys back; I'm driving this time." Lavi fished them out of his pocket and tossed them at him. Kanda snatched them out of the air and walked out of the hotel room with Lavi at his heels.

* * *

The two arrived at the morgue in less than twenty minutes. Kanda said that the person calling him was unfamiliar, and that worried him. He grabbed Mugen as he got out of the car. He walked in quickly, being directed by the secretary to which person had called him. Kanda noticed that she was shaking when they walked in. Lavi mentioned it, but Kanda brushed it off, saying that it might just be the cold air that kept the bodies from rotting too quickly. Lavi thought otherwise.

When they entered the room, they were surprised to see six dead bodies and three living ones. Kanda recognized one of the dead bodies that was thrown over into a corner and had to hold back from vomiting. Lavi noticed the body as well. The tallest of the three looked over at them, blood dripping from his mouth, and he smiled.

"_Oh_,_ it looks like someone called you down here_," he said, faking a defeated look. "_I was hoping that we'd have a little more time_…" The younger ones turned back, blood soaking their clothes and their faces. Kanda recognized one of the younger ones.

"Hey, I thought I killed you!" the boy exclaimed. "I remember licking the blood off my fingers." Lavi looked over at Kanda, who was just as pale as he was. However, Kanda managed to keep a stoic façade.

"I'm not going to die simply because a horror movie reject decided to stab me," he said. "And we're going to make sure that you don't leave here, not after you've killed Tomitake." Lavi looked over to the corner. He recognized the ball cap the man usually wore. He glared over at the girl, who had started giggling manically to herself. The three didn't move.

"Master, can I kill them?" the girl asked. "The one with his headband over his eye smells delicious!" She grinned and licked her lips.

"_Sure_,_ you can kill them_." He grinned. The younger boy transformed his arm and took a step towards them. "_I don't see any convenience with them being alive anyways_."

Kanda stepped out in front of Lavi, unsheathing his sword. The chokuto gleamed against the dull light. "Lavi, get going," he ordered calmly. Lavi blinked a few times before taking out his gun.

"No way! I'm not leaving you behind," he said stubbornly. "I am not owing you for saving my ass!" Lavi pulled the trigger as the girl lunged, getting her right between the eyes. She fell back, bleeding from the hole Lavi put in her, and sat up. She glared.

"Ow! Now I'm gonna make it painful for you!" she shrieked.

The boy lunged for Kanda. He took his sword and slapped the edge against the boy's cheek, ripping the skin on his face open. The older jumped up at that as the young boy gripped at his cheek and cried out. His eyes turned straight over to Lavi, who froze under his smoldering, fire-red gaze. Kanda felt an arm around his neck, and something pressed against his temple.

Kanda turned. The light in Lavi's eye was gone, and his face was blank. The pistol in Lavi's hand was pointed right at him. Kanda glared.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Lavi!" he demanded, struggling to get out of the man's tight grip.

"_He won't listen to you_, _Yu Kanda_," the older man said. Kanda examined the man's face as he chuckled.

"You killed that man!" he gasped, halting in his struggling. The man nodded.

"_Larn Abbot_, _at your service_." He bowed. "_Queen Victoria sends her regards_."

"You bastard…!" Kanda flailed, trying to get his partner to release him, but Lavi's grip held firm. The gun poked against his head, making him stop. "What are you doing?"

"_I'm making sure you don't follow us as we leave_," he explained. "_One wrong move, and your friend blows your head off_._ Once we're far enough_, _your friend's hypnosis will wear off_." He walked over and took Kanda's chin in his hands, forcing him to look at the man.

"_Don't follow us_. _I'd hate to have to kill someone who's so bad at getting dates_."

Kanda growled and wrenched his chin from Larn's grip, struggling to get free from Lavi. The man laughed and ushered for the girl and boy to follow him. After a few minutes of struggling, Lavi finally came to his senses. The first thing he heard was Kanda's Japanese gibberish before he realized that he was holding a gun to his head and released him. Kanda turned around and glared hard at him, pushing Mugen to the man's throat, and put a few centimeters between their faces.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't decapitate you right now," Kanda seethed, teeth clenched together.

"I-I don't know why I was doing that!" Lavi said truthfully, dropping his gun in surprise. "I just blanked out for a second! I swear, I didn't mean to!" Lavi held his hands up. Kanda studied his face for a moment before pulling away, sliding Mugen back into its sheath. Lavi bent down to pick his gun and put it back into its holster. He walked over to Tomitake, inspecting his wounds without touching the body. He sighed and reached over, closing the man's eyes.

"Rest in peace," he murmured, standing up.

"Where did he get off to?" Lavi asked, placing his hands on his hips. Kanda growled.

"While you were putting my life in danger, he managed to leave." Kanda walked past Lavi and out towards the entrance. He found the secretary hiding under her desk, shivering and crying and praying. He placed a hand on her shoulder, not surprised when she brandished a gun on him. He ripped it from her hands when she recognized him.

"Did young man with black hair and an English accent leave here?" he asked slowly.

"I-I didn't see them," she said from between her sobbing. Lavi showed up behind Kanda.

"They got out the back," he said. "The door was ripped off its hinges, and a window was busted out."

Kanda stood and felt over his pockets. He growled.

"Damn, I left my phone in my car…" Kanda walked towards the entrance. Lavi followed him. Kanda stopped. "No, it'd be better to tell her in person. If I just phoned, she'd hit me." Kanda opened the door. Lavi followed him closely, blinking back tears. Something was tossed at him, and he barely caught it.

"You're driving," Kanda ordered.


	12. Time to do Research

"Vampires again?" Kanda asked. Lavi nodded. "There's no such thing as vampires…"

"Kanda, you have to think about this another way!" Lavi snapped. "That man managed to hypnotize me without moving a muscle, and that boy's arm… Not to mention that they were feeding on the bodies in the morgue! They even killed Tomitake…" That last line was like a blow to each of them, and they flinched away from each other.

"I see your point," Kanda grumbled. "So, let's say that these people really _are_ vampires… Why would they go out on a killing spree? Don't they normally live in castles anyway?"

"That's stereotypical."

"I read _Dracula_ once, Lavi."

"That was based on a real man who really _did_ dip his bread in blood."

Both men shivered.

"All jokes aside…"

"Those were jokes?"

"We have to find a way to apprehend them," Lavi said. "Obviously, they're going to be too powerful for just the two of us."

"You think?" Kanda spat. "That brat took me by surprise and tried to kill me."

Lavi's mind trialed back to the tattoo he'd seen on Kanda's shoulder just two hours ago, and the scars covering his chest. He thought about asking him to explain, but decided against it. If he did, Kanda might stop talking to him. Kanda could tell what was on the man's mind.

"I need to stop by the library," Lavi said. Kanda looked over at him.

"What?"

"I need to stop by the library," Lavi repeated. "I think I remember seeing something in the occult section about vampires and such." Lavi grinned as Kanda cocked a brow his way. "I know the librarian personally, so he'll let us stay as long as we need to."

"Hn." Kanda smirked. "I didn't think you held anything in that empty head of yours."

"Of course I do! All kinds of information are stocked up in here." Lavi grinned and looked at Kanda. "Once I read something, I _never_ forget it!"

"No wonder the thought process is so slow…"

Lavi stuck his hands into his pockets and walked in happily with Kanda awkwardly as his heels. The young red-head seemed more at home here than he did anywhere else. Lavi stopped by the head desk where a young woman with blond hair was working. She looked up from the computer at him with a slight smirk. She stood and leaned closer to him, pressing her breasts together with her arms.

"Hello there, Lavi~ It's been such a long time since I last saw you," she purred with a wink. "Why don't you come to the library more often?" Lavi couldn't look more like a rapist if you gave him a mustache.

"I don't know why I don't," he flirted back. "Why don't you ask Krory when he sees you flirting again, Eliade?" The woman pursed her lips together and pouted.

"You're so mean, Usagi."

"So I've heard." Lavi winked at her despite his past warning, and Kanda rolled his eyes dramatically. Eliade set her sights on him. "Don't try; he's got a heart of ice."

_Smack_

"Let's just find this friend of yours," Kanda said. Lavi rubbed the bump forming on the back of his head. Lavi laughed and waved at Eliade, who blew him a kiss. "Do you flirt with her every time you come here?"

"Why, are you jealous?" Lavi elbowed him. Kanda growled despite the pink blush on his face. "C'mon, Yu…"

"Lavi, you are _not_ gay, so do _not_ get that close to another man." A strict voice made both men jump and twirl around. An old man wearing a dress was standing behind them with thick black make-up around his eyes. What was left of his gray hair was kept up in a curly ponytail on the top of his head. He eyed Lavi.

"Yeah, but he's a good friend of mine! I can get close to him, can't I, Panda?" The old man growled before pulling Lavi down to his level and slapping him over the head.

"Do not call me Panda, brat. Don't forget who raised you." The old man didn't smile a bit. Lavi just brushed it off and rubbed the bump on his head that had grown twice its size. Once his punishment was taken care of, the old man addressed Kanda politely. "It's nice to meet one of Ringo city's most revered men. I am Bookman."

"Pleasure to meet you," Kanda replied with a polite bow.

"Lavi, how did _you_ end up with him?" Bookman asked with honest curiosity.

"I'm his partner." Bookman cocked what would have been an eyebrow had there been any hair. "We're working on the case that's been going on right now; you know the one where the men and slut have been killed?"

"Oh?" Bookman rubbed his chin.

"Yeah, Kanda and I…"

"Lavi thinks that vampires are behind this," Kanda interrupted, not wanting to have his name pulled into the fantasy. Bookman made a noise that indicated he was thinking.

"You might want to talk to Krory about this," Bookman said, and Kanda couldn't believe the old fart was taking this seriously. "He has more knowledge on anything involving the occult. He might have something for you."

"If he starts crying, I'm not coming back." Lavi turned away. When he wasn't looking, Bookman looked up and clasped his hands together in a prayer. Kanda snorted.

"Hey, Kanda," Lavi started, making both men put up a stoic face. "I'm gonna go talk with Krory first; he gets a little overwhelmed if too many people approach him." Lavi waved before running off through the library, giving quick hi's to those he recognized and knew. Kanda crossed his arms and blew a lock of hair out of his field of vision.

"He's a good kid," Bookman muttered. Kanda looked over, thinking the comment had been directed towards him. "He's a bit of a klutz, and he does things the wrong way sometimes, but his intentions are good."

"Hn." Kanda sighed heavily through his nose. Bookman turned towards him.

"Keep him out of trouble for me. God knows what that boy's capable of." Bookman chortled as he left. Kanda stood in place, a little dumbfounded, before Lavi came running back for him.

"Krory's gonna help us! Just…don't glare at him."

"I won't," Kanda said, ignoring the light joke that was hidden somewhere in Lavi's comment. "Is this guy really an occult expert, or whatever that man said?"

"Yeah!" Lavi grinned. "He loves reading through the different books in the section and pointing out which is right and which is wrong. He's really smart, but you have to be careful about how you address him. He's a bit of a downer."

Kanda could feel the depressing aura radiating from the man as soon as he saw him. He was extremely tall and wore dark clothing, save for a white dress shirt that had frills running down the front. He literally looked like a vampire that had jumped out of its 19th century fantasy novel. The pale skin, white bangs flipped over his eyes, and sharpened canines weren't much to go against. He smiled politely and introduced himself.

"I am Arystar Krory," he said. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Yu Kanda." He bowed. "We heard you're an expert in occult."

"Well, not exactly an expert…" There was a light flush to his cheeks. "But I do know plenty. Is there something you'd like to ask?"

Kanda gave Lavi the "go for it" look and he started.

"We think that there might be a vampire behind the murder strings going on in the city," Lavi started. "We were just wondering if there were any books on vampires and such."

"Any books from England, specifically," Kanda added.

Krory bit the inside of his lip in thought before looking through the books on the shelf to his left. Lavi followed him, and Kanda walked after them. With inhuman agility, Krory hopped up onto the edge of the shelf and began climbing up, searching through the books on the higher shelves. Kanda shook his head and looked again to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

"Krory, did you find something?" Lavi asked. Krory cocked his head to the side before taking two more books and hopping down, landing on his feet gracefully.

"Here, these might help you a bit." He listed off the information one could gain from them as he put them in Lavi's hands. "This explains what vampires are… This tells about encounters from all over the world people had with what they thought were vampires… This one is about English history and witchcraft." He paused for a moment.

"I'm not entirely sure if the last one will be of any use to you, but there is plenty of information on any royalty or nobles that might have been involved in black magic." Kanda snatched a book from Lavi's hands and flipped through it.

"Thanks Krory!" Lavi said with a grin. "By the way, when are you gonna pop the question to…" He grinned and elbowed the tall man. Krory's face turned into a raspberry.

"D-Don't tease me about something like that, Lavi!" he exclaimed. "That isn't a subject open to conversation…"

"Come on, Krory, you can tell me. I won't tell her anything…"

"Come on, lover boy, let's go." Kanda grabbed him by his headband and began dragging him. Lavi pulled it down over his face and sped up so that Kanda wouldn't pull it off his head.

"Wait, Kanda, be careful! My eye…" He managed to free his headband. "Can we stop by some place so I can get another eye patch? I still haven't replaced the one my cat ate…"

"Why not?" Kanda demanded.

"Because I've been busy with the case and worrying about you!" Lavi turned a little red, but his frown didn't move. "And besides, don't you have to stop by a certain someone's house?" Kanda flinched and looked away.

"Yeah, I do." He turned back to Lavi and held his hand out. "Give me my keys. I'll go ahead and you go buy your little eye-piece. I'll pick you up later." Lavi opened his mouth to say something, but Kanda was already halfway to the entrance and had his back turned to him. Lavi frowned and turned to Eliade. He was still holding the books.

"Just take 'em," she said as he fished for the library card he usually kept on him. "I'll type them out into your account in a minute. I know your number by heart." She winked again.

"See ya, doll-face." Lavi would have winked at her, but to him it was simple blinking, so he smirked and grabbed the books. "Tell Krory 'thanks again' for me, will ya?"

"I will." Eliade waved him out and Lavi tucked the books under his arm.

Just a few hours before – when the moon was still high and the sun wasn't yet out – Tomitake had been murdered. Kanda mentioned going to see a woman, but he refused to tell Lavi who she was. Lavi guessed that it was yet another girlfriend Kanda was trying to keep, but that quickly diminished his already dampened mood.

* * *

Kanda shoved his hands into his pockets and tapped his foot against the steps as he heard quiet shuffling inside. He whistled until the lock inside clicked and the door swung open. A young woman with curly blonde hair looked at him for a few minutes. Kanda tried to say something, but was stopped when the woman slapped him straight across the face. He growled and rubbed his stinging cheek.

"Will you let it go, Mina?" he asked.

"Nope," the woman replied. "And that's not what the slap was for."

Kanda examined her eyes closely. They were bloodshot and puffy, and she looked like she had been crying. Her nose was red and rubbed raw. Kanda sighed.

"So you already heard?" he asked. Mina nodded and wiped at her eyes. "I'm sorry about your brother."

"Yeah." She sniffed. Kanda sighed.

"I'll see you around."

"Yeah."

Kanda turned around and walked back to the car. He sat down in the seat and bent forward to start the engine. Something grabbed his chest and pulled him back against the seat. He cried out and grabbed what was wrapping around his throat, working to get it off of him.

"I'm going to kill you this time," a voice hissed behind his ear. Kanda opened his mouth to yell out for help, but the boy's thumb covered it. Kanda panicked. He could feel the claws of the hand around him digging into his torso.

_Shit shit shit!_, he screamed in his head. Mugen was leaning against the passenger seat, leaving him defenseless. He could feel something poking against his leg.

"Do you have any last words?" The boy leaned close up to Kanda's face. The detective felt down at what was poking his leg. He felt relieved enough to cry. The thumb around his mouth was taken away. Kanda gripped the object and shoved it under the boy's neck.

"Go to hell!" He pulled the trigger on his gun, shooting the boy from under his jaw. The silver-haired boy cried out and gripped his head. Kanda turned around and slapped the end of the gun into the boy's face. He glared dangerously at Kanda, who was at a disadvantage from his position. He froze, however, when the gun was pushed against his temple.

"Watch what you do, stupid boy," Kanda growled. The boy smirked.

"You can't kill me with that!" he said.

"No, I can't. But it sure hurts like hell, doesn't it?" The boy flinched away from him. "You're coming with me. And no transforming that arm of yours either!" The boy looked down and back up at him. Blood ran down his neck and from the back of his head, and he still had that laceration from when Kanda slapped him with Mugen.

"You can't keep me from killing you," the boy threatened. "I'll kill you when I can." Kanda arched his brow and relaxed his aim.

"When 'you can'?" he repeated. "Why can't you go ahead and do it now?" The boy perked up.

"Master Larn said to not kill you yet."


	13. Things are Like This

**I know I haven't updated in a long time, but all is forgiven, right?**

Lavi dropped the books onto the floor of their hotel room, catching Kanda's attention from the phone conversation. He put a finger to his lips to tell Lavi to be quiet and went back to talking. After a few minutes, he finished talking and closed his phone.

"Lavi, don't drop your books," he scolded. "If they get damaged, don't you have to pay for them yourself?" He smirked as Lavi shook his head.

"The books aren't exactly what I'm worried about. Why the hell is that_ kid_ here!" He pointed towards the boy who was engrossing himself in a TV show. Kanda waved him away and went to pick the books up. "Kanda, seriously! Didn't he try to kill you, like, days ago!"

"So?" Kanda picked up the book about English witchcraft. "He's become a resource." Kanda flipped through the book and made his way to the bed without looking up. The boy looked over at Lavi. The red-head froze.

"Your blood smells delicious," he said, and his mouth watered a bit. Lavi cringed, and a pillow hit the boy's head.

"Watch it, bean-sprout. You can't eat him." The boy fixed his hair and glared at Kanda.

"Allen, dammit! My name is _Allen_, not bean-sprout!" he yelled.

"Whatever." Kanda looked up at Lavi, who was still staring at Allen. "Hey, get reading! We need to figure this thing out quickly. If we continue to stall, people will keep dying."

Lavi looked between Allen and Kanda – both were doing something that kept their full attention from Lavi – and gave up. He picked up the two books he dropped and flopped down on the end of the bed, opening one of the books. Both men looked up from their studying when something growled. They both looked over at Allen. He laughed sheepishly and covered his middle with his arm.

"I haven't had anything to eat," he whined. Kanda rolled his eyes.

"What do you usually eat?" he asked. Lavi looked over at him in shock.

"Are we really going to feed him!" he asked.

"Well, he's got valuable information. We have to keep him alive somehow." Kanda and Lavi stared each other down before Lavi finally gave in.

"Fine. So, kid, what do you want from room service?" Lavi asked. Allen tapped his chin in thought.

"20 large Matarashi Dango, a bowl of udon noodles, potato salad, teriyaki beef bowl…" Allen began to count off a million different dishes on his fingers. Kanda and Lavi exchanged incredulous looks with each other.

"And how much blood do you usually drink?" Lavi asked. Allen chewed on the end of his fingernail.

"Not much," he said slowly. "Usually a mouthful or two…" Allen started drooling a little bit, and he quickly wiped it away with his sleeve. "But blood doesn't taste as good as dango does…" He started drooling again, and Lavi pulled his feet up in case the boy drooled a puddle onto the floor.

"He's going to drown us," Kanda growled. Lavi nodded in agreement and pulled his scarf from his neck. He left it on the bed and walked over to Allen. Kanda cocked his brow and watched as he bent down and pulled at his collar.

"Here, you can have some of my blood," Lavi offered, gesturing towards the exposed skin. Allen's mouth stopped watering slightly. "We can't afford a lot of food, so you'll have to just deal with this."

Allen growled, but he leaned up to Lavi's neck, and the man clenched his eye shut.

"Lavi…" Kanda warned. Lavi opened his eye as Allen's hot, wet tongue trailing over a small patch of skin on his neck. Lavi flinched.

"You can leave if you want," Lavi said. "But just so you know, I'm gonna go through with this. If he gets real food, he'll eat us broke." He laughed.

"You're an idiot." Kanda shut the book harshly and shot up, storming out of the hotel room. He slammed the door shut, not caring who he disturbed, and leaned against the wall outside of the room. He shivered, muttering cuss words underneath his breath. Lavi just loved to piss him off like that, didn't he? Kanda crossed his arms over his chest.

Kanda decided to distract himself from his partner's stupidity by thinking more about their case. He hated to admit it, but the proof was in his room that the murderer obviously wasn't human. He wouldn't accept the term "vampire."

"Hey, Yu, you alright?"

Kanda jumped and turned. Lavi was standing beside him with a gauze pad held in place by tape on his neck, and the collar of his shirt was splashed with blood. Kanda growled and looked away. The red head sighed.

"I guess that means that you're mad at me," Lavi said in a defeated tone. Kanda gave him a look that confirmed it. "Well, what else did you want me to do? I knew you weren't gonna do it." Lavi paused and smirked. "Could it be… you're mad because you didn't want me to get hurt?"

Kanda's glare said no, but the blush on his face said otherwise.

"Do what you want," he said, "but not in front of me."

"But…what if I want to do something that concerns you?" Lavi cowered away sheepishly, but there was a grin on his face.

"What are you talking about?" Kanda demanded.

Lavi smirked and stood in front of him. He grabbed Kanda's shoulders and forced their lips together. Kanda's eyes widened as Lavi kissed him, grip unwavering. He relaxed into the kiss and moved against Lavi, hands reaching up to grab his shirt. Lavi tilted his head to deepen their contact, slipping his tongue past Kanda's lips. The smaller male groaned quietly, fully aware of the heat flashing through his blood.

He felt Lavi's hands sift under his shirt and feel over his stomach. The red-head pulled away for air and dipped his head to kiss and lick at Kanda's neck. Kanda let his head fall back against the wall. His face was flushed, his breath was heavy, and he could feel the heat from his body fighting to get out of his clothes.

"Hey, humans!" Lavi and Kanda both jumped away from each other. Allen peeked outside, holding Kanda's phone in his hand. "This thing's yelling and it won't shut up."

"Give that to me," Kanda growled, snatching it from Allen. His face was red from embarrassment. He answered the phone and his voice quieted to just barely above a whisper.

Lavi's cheeks matched his hair, but he was still happy.

"You're so weird," Allen said with a straight face. Lavi frowned and was about to say something.

"What!" Kanda exclaimed. "Where is he?" He sounded as if he was about to have a heart attack. "Okay, I'll be there soon. Thank you." Without another word, Kanda hung his phone up and threw the door open, stomping inside.

Lavi and Allen were right behind him.

"What's going on?" Lavi asked. Kanda snatched his car keys off the nightstand and shoved them into his pocket. He didn't spare the Bookman a second glance until Lavi grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"You better let me go, stupid rabbit, or I'm going to drill a hold in your forehead." Kanda's eyes were narrowed, and he looked as if he was about to carry out the threat. Lavi released him quickly and Kanda stormed out.

"Stay here, bean-sprout!"

"_Allen_!"

"I'm coming with you!" Lavi bounded past Allen and followed Kanda. Allen frowned at being left alone but entertained himself with another television program.

"What's going on?" Lavi asked once he was alone with Kanda in the elevator. He could see Kanda's hands were shaking and he looked stressed. His eyes had a dazed look. "Yu, are you okay? You can't drive like that."

"I'm fine," Kanda said, but he sounded as if he was asleep.

"Obviously, you're not." Lavi placed a hand on Kanda's shoulder. "What happened? Who was on the phone?"

Kanda took a shaky breath and exhaled. It still didn't seem to help him.

"Someone from the hospital in the other city," Kanda said. "Tiedoll was in an accident."

Lavi stomach dropped to his knees. He swallowed.

"Is he okay?"

"How the hell should I know?" Kanda snapped, turning to Lavi and glaring hard. "He was unconscious!" He spat through his teeth and turned away. Lavi pulled his hand away and crossed his arms. Kanda was edgy.

"Are you going to go to the hospital?"

"Yes." Kanda looked down at his foot. "If I find out that damn Larn is involved with this, I'll kill him." His knuckles cracked. The door to the elevator opened and Kanda strutted through the lobby with Lavi jogging at his heels. He came to the car and opened the door, but Lavi grabbed his wrist and pulled him back.

"You're in no condition to drive," Lavi said seriously. "Get in, and let me drive." Kanda looked like he was about to argue, but he gave up and shoved the car keys at Lavi. He moved into the passenger side as Lavi started the car and buckled himself in.

"Do you know any details?" Lavi asked. Kanda didn't answer. He waited for a few moments to let the traffic clear up before turning to the detective. He had his hand over his eyes, massaging his temples as if he had a headache, and he was biting his lip. When Lavi saw something wet slide down and stop just short of the man's chin, he stopped trying to inquire and watched the road.

* * *

Once they reached the hospital, Kanda stormed inside and began asking about Tiedoll. He learned from a young nurse (who tried to get Kanda's number) where Tiedoll was and found the room easily. He stopped just short of entering and knocked sheepishly before moving in. Lavi stopped in the doorway and watched.

Tiedoll was hooked up to multiple machines and had tubes going into his nose to help him breathe. He was frowning as the doctor was talking to him, but as soon as Kanda walked into the room, a grin spread on his face. He opened his arms and Kanda hugged him.

"What happened to you?" Kanda asked. His voice was surprisingly low.

"I just got into an accident, nothing big," Tiedoll replied in a cracked voice. He cleared his throat, but it didn't help. "I about hit a girl in the road, but she grabbed the hood of my car and threw me off course."

"He's delirious," the doctor said. "He keeps going on about a girl trying to kill him…"

Kanda ignored him.

"What did this girl look like, Tiedoll?" Kanda asked. The doctor sighed with defeat and left the room, muttering something under his breath. Lavi drifted in, trying not to bring attention to himself.

"I can't remember," Tiedoll groaned, gripping Kanda's hand. "All I remember was spinning on the road and then getting hit in the side." Tiedoll's forehead was wrapped in gauze and there was a small pink spot above his right temple. "And then I woke up here."

"Damn it, old man." Kanda sighed. "Don't stress me out. I've already got a lot on my plate right now." Tiedoll grinned and reached up, patting Kanda's cheek.

"I'm just glad it was me rather than you."

"Don't baby me."

Tiedoll grinned and looked past Kanda to see Lavi.

"Hey there. Come on, don't be shy." Kanda turned around and looked at Lavi. The Bookman walked over and smiled. Tiedoll laughed. "It's nice to see you again. Has Kanda been behaving?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess…"

"I said not to baby me, old man."

Tiedoll chuckled the demand away.

"So, you don't remember what the girl looked like?" Lavi asked. Tiedoll shook his head.

"No, I'm afraid I don't," he sighed. "But I do remember her eyes. Those golden-yellow eyes…" He began shaking, and the machine counting his heartbeats sped up. Kanda and Lavi both panicked.

"Don't work yourself up," Kanda said, grazing his thumb over the man's knuckles. "Just forget about it."

"I wish I could." Tiedoll laughed, then started coughing. Kanda's grip tightened. "How are you on your case, Kanda? Have you found anything out?"

"…No," Kanda lied. Lavi gave him a look from the corners of his eyes. "We haven't gotten very far. If I find anything out, I'll let you know." Tiedoll smiled and squeezed his hand. "So rest up, old man. I'll tell you about it later."

"Sure," Tiedoll agreed with a laugh. "Stay out of trouble."

"It _finds_ me," Kanda retorted, giving his hand one last squeeze before letting go and turning away. Lavi turned to leave, but Tiedoll quickly grabbed his arm.

"Whatever you did that made him a little bit happier," he said with a wink, "keep doing it." Lavi flushed and Tiedoll chortled, releasing the Bookman. Kanda had stopped just outside the room when he noticed Lavi wasn't following him. Lavi came out, and the men both left the hospital silently.

"Thanks," Kanda said when they were outside.

"Huh? For what?" Lavi asked.

"For…" Kanda stopped. He sighed and grabbed the handle of the car door. "For everything, I guess."

"Oh." Lavi grinned. "You're welcome."


	14. Leave Out All the Rest

**Guess what, dearies? You are reading the **_**second**_**-_to_-_last_ chapter of this fanfiction. Thanks for sticking with it and being patient whilst I was wallowing in the self-pity of having not updated in a long time. The next chapter will be very happy.**

Lavi entered the room by himself, throwing the door open to make enough noise to startle Allen. The young half-breed jumped when he did and looked over. Lavi pulled something out of his pocket and stood by the mirror, lacing two strings around his head in front of his eye. Allen watched him with a strange fascination before Lavi turned back and fiddled with the eye patch he had dressed.

"What are you getting all 'dressed-up' for?" Allen asked, tilting his head. His silver hair fell over his shoulders. Lavi tightened the knot in the back and walked over to Allen, pulling him up to his feet. "Where are you taking me?"

"Actually, it's more like _you're_ taking _us_ somewhere," Lavi corrected, laughing as he and Allen exited the hotel room and stood out in the hall, waiting for the elevator to come to their floor. "We've decided to bust him tonight."

"Who?" Allen asked.

"Who do you think, pipsqueak?" Lavi chuckled and grinned over at Allen. "That bastard that you call a master. What was his name again? Lawn?" Lavi rubbed his chin. Allen frowned and narrowed his eyes dangerously at Lavi. The red-head jumped back from him, a nearly-visible black aura emanating from behind him.

"You won't be able to kill him," Allen said in a low voice. Lavi chuckled as the elevator door opened and pulled Allen in with him.

"I dunno. Kanda and I make a pretty good team." Lavi pushed the button for their floor and waited for the doors to close. Allen turned on him, fingers curled and arm throbbing to break loose from his sleeve. Lavi flipped his gun from the holster and held it to Allen's forehead, watching as the silver-haired boy froze. "I hate to do this, especially when you're usually such a good kid, but I have a duty that comes first."

"Shit…" Allen glared at the gun before giving Lavi a nasty look and turning away. He leaned against the wall behind him, and Lavi let his gun hang by his side. "…When the time comes, I'm killing you first."

"Really? You're not going to let that Larn guy rip me to pieces?" Lavi placed the gun back into his holster when they reached the ground floor and the elevator doors opened. Allen walked with him through the lobby, hands shoved deep into his pockets, growling underneath his breath. He smirked at Lavi's question.

"No, I'll let Master Larn do that." He chuckled. Lavi slapped him in the head lightly.

"Don't even joke about that, pipsqueak. You just let the adults handle the work, okay?" Lavi held the door open for him with a teasing grin on his face. Allen continued to be stoic, even as Lavi pulled him to the car.

In the passenger seat, Kanda was tapping his foot against the floorboard. He looked over when Lavi opened the back door and pushed Allen in. The silver-haired boy frowned and crossed his arms together, leaning against the back of the seats. He kept his eyes on Kanda, who was muttering something in a language he didn't understand, while Lavi started the engine.

"Say, pipsqueak…"

"Allen!"

"What's with this Larn guy killing every hooker he sees?" Lavi asked, turning over his shoulder as he backed out and turned the car. "I don't quite get his motive." Allen frowned as Lavi pulled out onto the road and sunk lower in the seat.

"Put your seat belt on," Kanda ordered back to Allen, looking over at him.

Allen did as he was told, but refrained from speaking. Lavi looked at him through the rear view mirror, watching him and keeping his eyes on the road. Allen sunk low so that the seat belt dug into his neck just under his chin. He crossed his legs and pretended something on the back of Kanda's chair was interesting and didn't tear his eyes from it.

"Well, are you going to tell me?" Lavi asked after a chilling silence. Allen growled at him, and Lavi decided to avert the conversation to his partner. "What are we going to do when we get to wherever this Larn dude is?"

"It depends," Kanda answered, sitting up and pulling his fist from his cheek. "If he fights, we might have to kill him. Hopefully, we won't have to; I'd hate to have to clean up a mess."

"What we're doing could get us fired." Lavi laughed. "You still want to go through with this despite the consequences, don't you, Kanda?"

"Sure as hell." Kanda turned back to Allen. "Tell us where to turn, beansprout."

"There," Allen said, leaning up. He pointed towards a small entrance to one of the nearby parks. There were enough trees to count it as a forest. "And would you stop calling me beansprout? I have a name too!" He growled as Kanda ignored him, and he curled his nails into Kanda's neck. Kanda whipped Mugen out and pushed it against the boy's neck. He seemed calm, but Allen could feel the fast-paced pulse in his neck.

"How much further do we… Allen, can you please sit back?" Lavi leaned away from the fight about to break out beside him. "I need more directions, how do I…" Lavi suddenly slammed on the brakes. Kanda gasped as the seatbelt choked him and grabbed the car door. Allen slipped from his seatbelt and fell into the front between Lavi and Kanda. The Bookman sighed when the car had finally stopped. Kanda and Allen both gave him sour looks that made him cringe.

"Wh-What?" he asked.

"What the hell did you stop for?" Kanda demanded.

"Road!" Allen grinned and pulled himself from between them, throwing Lavi's door open and scrambling over his lap to get out. He ran over to Road and hugged her. The girl didn't move. Her eyes looked over at him dangerously from the corners. Allen held her at arm's length and grinned. "I'm so glad to see you! Is Master Larn okay? Are you okay?"

Road sneered and slapped his hands off her shoulders. Allen flinched away from her. Kanda snapped the seatbelt off and put his hand on the door. Lavi did the same, turning his body in case he needed to jump out.

"…" Road looked him up and down. "You're a disgrace," she said finally. Allen cocked his brow.

"What are you saying?"

"You're disgraceful! Pathetic! Weak!" Road pulled her hand back and slapped him across the cheek. Allen stumbled back and Kanda opened the door. He didn't move after that, and Lavi laid his hand on his thigh where his gun holster was. "I'm tired of seeing our Master doting over you simply because you resemble his wife. I'm tired of you being the favorite!"

Road lifted her leg and landed a hit on his side. Lavi jumped into action, brandishing his gun as Kanda rushed to Allen and helped him up. Road glared over at Lavi, walking towards him.

"Don't either of you stand in my way!" she shrieked. Lavi pulled the trigger on her, putting holes into her legs, knee, and forehead. He even shot out her right eye, but it healed up as if nothing happened, as well as the other inflicted wounds. Lavi jumped back from her as she walked closer and stopped, eyeing Kanda. The younger male had Allen on his feet.

"Road!" Allen stuck his pale lip out in a pout. "Master Larn is going to be mad! I promised him I'd bring these two idiots to him!"

"I'm _not_ an idiot," Kanda argued, but his comment was ignored.

"Master Larn this, Master Larn that…" She stalked over, ignoring Kanda, and grabbed Allen's throat. Kanda lashed out and grabbed her arm, but she turned and knocked him away. He landed on his back, grunting, and Lavi rushed over to help him. Road focused on the target of her aggression, her hand tightening around Allen's throat. "I'm tired of hearing you talk constantly about him and what he'll think of you." Her eyes flashed.

Allen choked and gasped, working to get air through his slowly-crushed windpipe, trembling hands working to pry her dark fingers from his neck. Road only squeezed harder, making him squeak trying to breathe.

"I'm going to get rid of you so that Larn can't have you," she growled. "You only see him…" She spat through her teeth and clenched harder.

Road screamed as a bullet hit her wrist and dropped Allen to the ground. He coughed and gagged, swallowing air as quickly as he could. She gripped her hand and glared at Lavi, who had pick-pocketed Kanda's gun and shot her. Road narrowed her eyes and looked down at Allen, who was crumpled in front of her and fighting his slipping conscious.

"Kanda, while she's attacking me, get Allen and run!" Lavi ordered. "Find Larn and kill him."

"Don't play hero." Kanda reached for Mugen. "Damn. My chokuto's in the car. How's that for useless?" He laughed dryly. Lavi chuckled.

"Just stay out of the way."

"Jackass."

The leaves on the bushes next to them rustled violently, like they were shaking from fear of something approaching. A pale hand reached out, nails sharpened to points over the tips, and out popped a pale face with shining black eyes. Coarse hair fell over in a braid. The black eyes examined Kanda and Lavi for a moment before the lips pulled back into a dark grin, sporting lengthened incisors.

"_Well_, _well_, _well_, _if it isn't the detectives_." Larn smirked and crossed his arms. "_To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit this far from the city_?" Kanda and Lavi both pulled themselves to their feet, and Kanda backed towards the car.

"Why so worried about us, princey?" Lavi teased, stepping in front of Kanda. "While you're over here, your princesses are pulling each others hair out." He laughed and jerked his head to the side. Larn gave him a sour look and titled his head. His eyes flashed red when he saw Road holding Allen up by his throat. Her eyes were wide with guilt as Allen clawed at her fingers, gasping for breath.

Kanda snatched up Mugen as Larn's attention was distracted.

"Lavi." He placed a hand on the red-head's back. "I'm about to do the stupidest thing I have ever done in my life for the first – and possibly the last – time." His gray eyes met green. "Are you willing to back me up?"

Lavi's grin spread from ear to eye patch. He said, "Only if you're dumb enough to carry it out."

"Believe me, with you, I think my IQ actually might have dropped just enough for this." Kanda inched slightly forward so that he was in front of Lavi.

"Hey, Kanda," Lavi said, slinking his arm across Kanda's waist. The samurai turned back and gave him a look. "Promise me that after this, I can buy you dinner?"

"You're really talking about something like that _now_?"

"Sure." Lavi grinned. Kanda rolled his eyes and shook Lavi's arm off him. "Promise?"

"Only if we make it out of here alive."

Larn grabbed Road's arm and closed his fist over her wrist, causing her enough pain to drop Allen and cry out. She screamed and the others could hear an audible _crack!_ as her bone snapped. But even after it broke, Larn kept his grip firm. His eyes smoldered and caught her gaze.

"_And just what do we think we're doing_?" he asked, tilting his head so that his hair fell out from in front of his eyes. "_I thought I told you to play nicely with Allen_." Road tried to pull away, but her master's grip held her in place.

"I-I was!" she lied, crying. "It was just a game. I swear, I wasn't…" She gasped as he let her arm go and grabbed her shirt, lifting her off the ground.

"_I'll have to teach you how to handle humans properly_," he sneered, wrapping his long, slender fingers around her neck and started squeezing. She gasped and groaned and kicked. Her already dark face began to turn purple. She wheezed when trying to breathe. Larn didn't stop. He dug his nails into her sensitive flesh, rivers of black blood pouring from the punctures.

"S-Stop!" Allen begged, catching Larn's arm. "Stop, Master! Leave Road alone! Stop!" Allen was crying by this point, tugging on the sleeve of Larn's jacket. Larn relaxed his grip and turned to his apprentice. Allen flinched away; Larn's eyes were cold and sinister.

"_I'm trying to _protect_ you_, _Allen_, _and you want me to stop what I'm doing_?" he growled. "_You need to realize that some people in this world need to die_, _and Road is one of them_."

"Wait, Master!"

Larn cried out as something slashed across his back, from his left shoulder to his right hip. Allen backed away as Larn screamed and dropped Road. He winced as he turned and the slice healed, surprised as the black blade lashed out and ripped the skin of his shoulder apart, his dark blood shooting from the wound. Larn stepped back, nearly tripping as Road struggled to run from him.

"_You meddling little bastard_," Larn sneered. "_You detectives are in the way_." He grabbed his shoulder, tearing the sleeve off.

Kanda ducked out of the way as Larn lashed out for him, fingers curled and nails sharp. The detective slashed out with his sword, taking off Larn's hand. He stopped and watched as the slit skin of Larn's shoulder pulled together and healed and the hand regenerated back from the wrist to his nails. The vampire smirked at Kanda's look of surprise.

"You should have done more homework," Larn sneered. "Vampires can't be hurt by a simple blade like your…" Larn's sentence was cut off as his head was thrown back. Lavi ran up beside Kanda and aimed the pistol in his hands at Larn's knee.

"If he regenerates," Lavi said, "hit him faster!" Lavi pulled the trigger and the man fell down to one side. Lavi quickly turned around and titled Kanda's head up to his, kissing him flat on the mouth. Kanda jumped at the action in the middle of their fight. Lavi pulled away and smirked.

"If you forget your promise or get killed, I'll kick you in the head!" he warned as Larn pulled himself to his feet. Kanda blinked from the shock of the kiss before shaking it out of his system and tightening his grip on the chokuto's handle.

"Just so you know Lavi…" Kanda readied himself as Larn pounced at them. "…I'm going to kick your ass for that!"


	15. Break the Ice

**After three months, it's finally over. It was fun while it lasted. This is the best out of five different drafts.  
Huge thank you goes to marufu-chan for her lovely reviews on my chapters. ;)**

Tiedoll frowned as the dial tone beat out in his ear like a monotonous drum and closed his phone. He crossed his arms and looked out the window as small houses passed by. It wasn't unusual for Kanda to ignore his calls, but it was strange for him to not be home during this time. Tiedoll remembered the day that the case had been closed. Kanda came to his room covered in something dark and sticky while a mob of reporters followed him. He closed the door and sat down by Tiedoll's bed and fell asleep for hours. His eyes were dull and he seemed exhausted. All Tiedoll could do was put his hand on the boy's head and wait for him to wake up so he could tell him all about the case.

After briefing his father on the case, Kanda said he was going to take a month off to recuperate from the mental shock and the physical work. Tiedoll was expecting his son to be walking around the house or at least willing to answer his phone when Tiedoll called, but he had lost contact with Kanda after his visit. So, after asking around with a few neighbors, Tiedoll managed to find where he expected his son to be. Of course, there was a little hope that he wasn't actually there.

"This is my stop," Tiedoll said, placing a hand on the taxi driver's shoulder. He pulled the car to a stop as the old man pulled out a small bundle of money and handed it to him. "Thank you." He opened the door and stepped out, making sure he had everything with him.

The driver took off once the door was shut, and Tiedoll shoved his hands in his pockets and walked up to the door. He knocked loudly and waited. Not long after he had knocked, he heard something heavy fall to the floor and laughter. There was a long stream of curse words that followed the laughter. Tiedoll cocked his brow before the door opened and he could see Lavi with a grin on his face and two-sizes-too-big dress shirt on; blue-striped boxers poked out from beneath it.

"Oh, hey!" he greeted. "Nice to see you out of the hospital, Mr. Tiedoll! Come in." Lavi stepped out of the way as the older man took the invitation and walked in.

"Ow!" someone cried from the living room. "Dammit, Alma! Stop pulling my hair!"

Tiedoll immediately recognized the voice. Forgetting to take off his shoes, Tiedoll waltzed into the living room. Sure enough, his son was on the floor, scratches covering his feet and toes, with a cat hanging halfway off his untied hair. Kanda was struggling to pry the cat's teeth from his hair. Lavi came in behind him and just laughed.

"She still has to get used to you," he said, cheeks turning red from trying to hold back his giggling. "By the way, you have a guest!"

Kanda growled as Alma bit him and latched onto his hair again. He looked up and immediately turned into a cherry. Tiedoll's eyes looked over him. His lips were slightly swollen, there were at least six red marks over his neck and chest, and he was shirtless, wearing only thin flannel pants. Tiedoll crossed his arms, and Kanda could sense a lecture about to start.

"Lavi…" Tiedoll turned his attention to the red-head. Lavi looked at him with a clueless expression. He didn't understand what was about to happen to him until he felt the gun pressed against his chest. "I'm going to give you three seconds to convince me that you didn't give Kanda those marks…"

"Calm down, geezer," Kanda snapped. "So what if he did?"

"I'd have to kill him."

"Good luck. You just got out of the hospital. There's no way you'd be able to even pull the trigger."

"Yu, how could you let him do this to you?" Tiedoll wailed.

"That's none of your business." Kanda stood with a growling cat in his hands, holding it out at arms length as it flailed and attempted to rip his fingers off. "Lavi, will you please restrain your beast long enough for me to put my hair up?"

Lavi giggled and accepted the cat from Kanda, which relaxed in his arms and purred. Tiedoll took a seat by Kanda on the couch as Lavi fell back onto his chair and started scratching Alma's ears. The room set into an awkward air as the older man tried to piece together a sentence to start a conversation. After a few moments, he said, "So, how did this start?"

"How did what start?" Kanda asked, picking up a brush that was lying on the end table near him and pulling it through his hair.

"_This_." Tiedoll gestured towards the house. "I mean, why are you here?"

Kanda yanked the brush through his hair.

"I like Lavi," he replied nonchalantly, making the red-head grin and his father's jaw drop. "What's with that face? You'd think you saw a ghost walking around here."

"Are you really that surprised?" Lavi chuckled as Alma chewed on his finger. "You _did_ say 'whatever you're doing, keep it up' in the hospital, remember? So, I did. And then went further."

"So my little Yu's no longer a virgin?"

"T-Tiedoll! Don't announce something like that aloud!" Kanda flushed a deep crimson as Lavi threw his head back and laughed.

"I don't know why, but that just amuses me!" he announced. Alma wriggled out of Lavi's lap and disappeared into the kitchen. "So, what did you come here for?" He pulled his feet off the floor and crossed his legs. The grin on his face still remained. Tiedoll looked between the two of them and sighed.

"You told me who was killing the people from the city, Yu," he started, "but you didn't tell me what happened to him after your fight. Was he sent to a mental ward or did he get the death sentence?"

Kanda and Lavi made eye-contact, and the light atmosphere immediately dissipated. Kanda stopped brushing the rat's nest out of his hair and Lavi picked at his eye patch, both frowning and avoiding looking at each other. Tiedoll cocked his brow.

"…He was killed," Lavi answered after the silence had stretched too far. "Kanda sliced his body up and other officers came and burned it. We aren't sure who called for them, but there really was no other way unless we had a stake or something." Kanda grunted in agreement and fingered at a tangle near the base of his neck.

" 'Stake?' You make it sound as if you had killed a vampire!" Tiedoll chuckled. He stopped when both men gave each other a serious look. "Don't tell me you really believe in vampires… Why are you both being quiet?"

"I'm…not sure _what_ he was," Kanda said slowly. He looked Tiedoll in the eye. "He obviously wasn't human in the slightest…

* * *

_Kanda's sword reached out and split the muscles and tissue from Larn's shoulder to his arm. Larn gripped at the gushing wound and waited as it healed, but Kanda took off his other arm. Lavi pulled the trigger three times in rapid succession, hitting his legs and chest when Kanda would step to the side. They acted together in an awkward dance, twisting and moving so that the other was sure to not get hurt._

"_Allen, we have to get out of here," Road said desperately. She grabbed his arm and tried to pull him away, but Allen was frozen. She squeezed his arm. "Allen, come on! If we don't get out of here, we'll get killed too!"_

"_Master Larn…" Allen's eyes stung with hot tears that fell down from the corners. He sniffed and wiped at his eyes. Road frowned and yanked his arm harder, throwing Allen off-balance. He turned back to her and glared angrily._

"_This is _your_ fault," he seethed. "If you hadn't gotten jealous and tried to kill me…!" Allen's arm transformed again, ripping the sleeve of the newest shirt he had. Road cringed away from him, fingers curled, ready for a fight._

_Larn screeched as Kanda managed to break his leg with the back of his blade, and Larn fell in a puddle of black, sticky blood. Half of his right arm had already regenerated, and Kanda took care of it by slicing it off. The weakened man could do nothing. He could barely keep his balance with his missing arms and injured legs._

"_How will we kill him?" Kanda asked, holding his blade at an angle so that he was still threatening. "We can't let him continue to live. He'll just jump back up and start murdering again." Lavi shot a look towards Allen, who was currently in his own battle against Road. He didn't seem to be losing._

"_Lavi!" The red-head snapped his head back towards Larn, who had raised himself up to pounce. He picked up his leg and slammed it into the man's chest. Larn gasped and fell back, coughing up more of his dark blood. "Don't take your eyes off him."_

"_Sorry." Lavi returned his gun to the holster on his thigh. "He keeps regenerating." Kanda slashed at the weakened man, taking off the hand that had just finished regenerating._

"_Leave him to us." Both men jumped and spun around. Komui stood proudly as officers rushed past him, bowing towards the two as they attempted to apprehend the pile of messy body parts. "It's nice to see you again, Kanda, Lavi."_

"_Chief Komui? What are you doing here?" Lavi asked, bowing slightly. The man just smiled and waved. His eyes looked both men up and down. They were covered in the black substance and both seemed entirely disheveled. "I thought you were just a desk man."_

"_Most of the time." Komui grinned. "But sometimes I can come to the rescue. In this case, you two needed it." He laughed as Kanda spat something from between his teeth. Larn had regenerated mostly, so he was able to spit curse words back at the men who were trying to kill him. "I got a few complaints about screams coming from here. From the scene here, I'm guessing that you two are to blame."_

"_We are," Lavi admitted._

"_Wait a minute." Kanda turned and looked around. "Where's the beansprout? Wasn't he around here somewhere?" Lavi perked up at Kanda's question and looked over the area._

"_There was a _kid_ involved in this too?" Komui growled and dragged his hand down his face. "Oh great. Good job, both of you."_

"_Oh, shut up!" Kanda shot back. "It's not our fault the brat took off!"_

"_You really suck as a babysitter. What is the mother going to think?"_

"_Would you listen to what I'm trying to say for two seconds, Komui?"_

"_Um, Komui, Kanda…" Lavi grabbed Kanda's shoulder. "Have you noticed that that Road girl is gone too?" Komui cocked his brow as Kanda looked around Lavi and found that both the shrimp and the girl had disappeared while they weren't looking. Lavi was panicking and Kanda almost looked relieved._

"_Well, that takes a load off _my_ shoulders," Kanda remarked. Lavi jabbed him with his elbow. "What? That kid attempted to kill me on multiple occasions; he even succeeded once."_

_Komui opened his mouth to interrupt the argument when a gloved hand placed itself harshly onto his shoulder. All three flinched at the snapping sound that followed. Komui turned and came face-to-face with the scariest man on Earth. He took a long drag on his cigarette and blew it into Komui's eyes, making his shut them and move away._

"_C-Cross!" he scolded. "I told you not to do that in my face! My allergies…" Komui sniffed and pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket, wiping at his eyes and sneezing into it._

"_Ah, toughen up!" Cross said with a grin, slapping Komui on his shoulder. "A little cigarette smoke hasn't killed anyone."_

_Lavi leaned into Kanda's ear, whispering, "I wonder if he's heard about a thing called 'cancer.'" Kanda shrugged._

"_Tell me, Komui…" Cross' eyes narrowed and he pulled something from behind his back. "How careless are you getting that you let one of your suspects trying to run away from the scene of the crime?" He squeezed the shoulder of the person beside him. It was Allen, face ashen and eyes wide with terror. He looked as if he was shaking. All three felt sorry for him._

"_Wh-Why would you say he's a suspect, Cross?" Komui asked with a nervous smile._

"_When did he even _get _here?" Kanda asked rhetorically. Lavi shrugged._

"_Explain this black gunk he's covered in." Cross tugged at Allen's shirt. "Not to mention I caught him with the 'deer-in-headlights' expression. He's obviously guilty of something."_

_Allen tried to slink away from Cross, but the man had a firm grip and would occasionally send him a sharp look, making the young half-breed stop in his tracks._

"_He's not guilty of anything," Lavi stated quickly, catching Cross' attention. "He just happened to come here while we were taking care of Lar… of that thing." Lavi cleared his throat._

"_Then explain to me, red-head, why he's covered in this."_

_"I can't explain everything," Lavi said with a grin._

_ "And about this 'Road' girl you were telling me about…"_

_"That's nothing!" Lavi held his hands up in front of him. Cross narrowed his eyes at the red-head before turning to Komui._

_"Mind if I steal the kid?" he asked. "I'm looking for an apprentice anyways."_

_"Please help me…," Allen muttered._

_"Y-You can't just take him away," Komui said slowly. "There's a lot of paperwork to go through."_

_"See you later, Komui."_

_"C-Cross! Wait a minute!" The chief growled something Lenalee would have been ashamed to hear and took off after the long-haired officer. Allen had started crying and begged for someone to save him Kanda and Lavi both stood where they were in shock before Lavi slung his arm around Kanda's shoulders._

_"So, where you wanna eat?" he asked with a wide-set grin. Kanda gave him an incredulous look. "What? You promised…"_

_"I just want to sleep." Kanda didn't bother shrugging Lavi off him._

_"You can come back to my place." Lavi lifted his only visible brow. Kanda bit the inside of his lip and sighed heavily, massaging his temples._

_"No, I want to go to the hospital," Kanda said. "I want to see Tiedoll."

* * *

_

"…And then one thing led to another," Kanda explained to Tiedoll, who looked slightly dumbstruck. "I'm moving in with Lavi next week."

"Yay!" Lavi cheered.

"…What ever happened to Allen?" Tiedoll asked.

"He's with Cross; God knows what that man's done to him by now." Lavi frowned. "We haven't seen him since Cross took off with Komui chasing after him. Knowing Cross, that kid's probably gotten killed for that man's debts by now."

Tiedoll looked at both of them and laughed. Kanda jumped. After he stopped giggling, Tiedoll managed to start talking. "I'm glad for both of you!" he said. "Just watch what you do while I'm around, Lavi." Tiedoll put his arm around Kanda and the smaller male gave him a look.

"Stop doting, you old geezer." Kanda yelped and picked his leg up from the floor. Alma was hanging off with her claws and teeth sunk into his foot. Lavi grinned as Kanda muttered something profane and attempted to pry the evil cat off him.

**…It was BLSatisfaction's idea to name the cat Alma. "It'd explain why the cat hates him so much!" Indeed it does.**


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